So like Dora hadn't planned to come... so she had not gone all out with a gown and updo and all that. Her makeup, as always, was on point, though. Yas. Having already danced and opted out of touching the food, she had decided she needed some air and headed up top.

And as she pulled at the sleeve of her jacket her eyes swept the area. OH MY GOODNESS! Sam was wearing PINK! And it was shiny!

*_____*

GURL!

"Sam, you look beautiful. Like proper HOT! Those shoes are tragic, but I love the dress, " she said as she wrapped her arms around her friend from behind. Bending a bit at the knee she propped her chin on Sam's shoulder even. "It's a shame I have a boyfriend... I'd totally be chatting you up of I didn't."

Kidding. I mean... not really, but kind of.

She couldn't help but think this was a stupid idea, when a voice from behind brought a curl of a smile to her lips followed by a flush of colour to her cheeks.

Dora HAD come. And whoa, Sam was pretty sure she wasn't the hot one here. She also wondered why she hadn't thought of rocking the suit thing; it was probably far more her style.

"They were a necessary and much needed compromise," Sam commented, glancing down to try and hide the shoes under her skirt once more. Dora had eagle eyes for such details, that was for sure. Which wasn't entirely surprising when she caught a glance at what was on the Gryffindors' feet. Merlin!

"Maybe you can just save me a dance and give me the pleasure of your company instead?" Since she was dateless and on her lonesome now.

After giving her another squeeze, Dora released her friend and moved around in front. "Gurl, where have you been hiding that figure, by the way?" Like she already knew her bestie was a hottie with a body, but DAYUM.

And embarrassing her friend was an added bonus, really. She liked to make her blush.

"If you would let me put charms on your shoes you could walk in them just fine. I promise! Even have one to help with your balance." But Sam knew all of this and still insisted on wearing flats. Sighs. But some things never changed. Dora was the stylish of the two, and she knew it.

Didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying.

"Oh come on. You didn't even play along for a moment? What has happened to you? You used to be far more flattered when I hit on you," she said as she pouted her red lips right on up. Sheesh. Was she losing her touch since she and Casper had become a boring old couple?

"Dora!" she protested, nudging the girl with her elbow as more colour flushed to her cheeks. She hadn't been hiding that figure anywhere, especially from her bestie who had seen her in a bikini on vacation. Though this dress did have more of a revealing back than she thought she would have chosen when Addy first sent her a selection to choose from. On the hanger she was pretty sure she was going to hate this one, and yet Robin's reaction when she'd showed him told her this was the right choice.

As for her footwear? In all honesty, Sam had been planning to try heels for the night, charmed or otherwise, before her plans for getting ready had gone completely out the window. Nothing as crazy as those stilettos, but enough of a heel to bring Sam up to Dora's usual height. A cute pair of silver kitten heels. She gave a small sigh as she thought of them still laid out on her bed. "Next time, promise."

And that pout? Sam shook her head lightly. No fair, Umbridge! "Maybe you're just losing your touch," she joked, though her face soon fell. "And, well, Ast's stuck in bed ill." So the dressing up bit had lost its shine somewhat.

Dora gave a cackle as she dodged that elbow at her person. NOT TODAY, SAM! Strutting forward, the Gryffindor plopped backward onto one of the sofas and shook her head a bit. She didn't care about those curls, either. Not today, she didn't. "I wish Casper was here."

Not something that she wanted to say out loud often, but she was sad that he had things that had kept him away tonight. But she had agreed to be Mason's unofficial date and she had Rooney around, too. So she wasn't alone at all. So that was nice. She would have skipped it completely if it hadn't been for Mason, actually. It was still odd to her sometimes that she had become friends with both of the Ravenclaw boys, but it was definitely a highlight of the term for her. They were her boys.

SNORTS now. Dora looked over at Sam and snorted once more. "That's rubbish and you know it. I still have it." And if she wanted to dispute that... well then Dora would have to prove it. She could probably hit on one of the Ilvermorny girls easily enough. Hah.

And all mentions of Astrea always made Dora roll her eyes. HOW TRAGIC that the girl had taken ill.

NOT.

Dora thought... no, KNEW that her best friend could do better than that girl. "Have you talked to Al lately?"

Slate nodded. "Yeah. It is nice outside." Which was convenient for an outside event. Or an event that took place outside. Partially outside? Whatever.

"What have you been doing?" he asked before taking another sip. Because he needed ideas. So far he hadn't been up to much. Just watching people and enjoying this drink. He was thinking about doing the dancing thing but really didn't know how... or with who.

From anyone else, being called pretty would have earned them an absolutely ridiculous look, and utter silence. But from Hattie, that was an entirely different thing. Somehow she made it seem cute, made everything cute, honestly. Must have had something to do with his growing affection for her.

"I'm not sure you would like Durmstrang," He remarked, thoughtful as he met her gaze, head bowed toward her while returning her smile with a crooked little grin of his own. "I've got to look my best for you," Luca replied, adding a quick, "Thank you." as well.

It was a great night out. Despite her lack of sleeves, Noelle wasn't cold. She tilted her head when Ava didn't act like the wifey that Noelle knew. She hip bumped her again and slipped her hand into hers. "You okay?" She asked, giving Ava's hand a squeeze. It wasn't often that Ava was this quiet... or this still.

"It is a great night though." Noelle commented, looking up and seeing the stars overhead. She grinned because despite not liking Astronomy, she did think the stars were brilliant tonight.

"Wheres Phillip at?" Ava not dragging him out here in this romantic spot was unusual as well. She looked back at her wifey, studying her closely. "By the way wife, you look flawless tonight." Flawless

SPOILER!!: Duncan! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duncan Williams

SPOILER!!: Ciara, Gabriella, Kaysha

The scent of the waters below weren't enough to distract him from the sounds of shoes hitting the deck that his ears were picking up. He felt someone being near him before he actually saw them but when he did finally tear his eyes away from the sight ahead of him, it was only to see his competition. Or the woman he'd taken over.

It looked like being in Britain hadn't made Ciara grow an unnecessary need to be polite and sweet. Good to know. Despite his feelings towards her - she was competition, as far as he was concerned - he returned the nod and gave her somewhat of a smile. Because Mama hadn't raised him in a jungle.

If he thought things couldn't possibly get more surprizing, he was very much mistaken. It wasn't long before he was joined by someone else, but not the person he was after. Still, Duncan regarded this Gabriella woman - someone on the Board of Governors - and figured that he should, at the very least, be polite. Someone in a higher position of power might prove to be somewhat useful. "Nice to meet you, Gabriella. I'm Duncan Wiliams, Ilvermorny's Potions Master." His smile might have been a polite one but there was no mistaking the vague sense of smugness that was present there. "They do. Excellent job on this event, by the way. Everything looks exquisite." Accept the compliment, it wasn't often that the man gave those out.

Ah. Kaysha.

Duncan made sure that the smile was still displayed on his face at the sight of the Muggle Studies professor. "Good evening, Kaysha. It really is. I have to say, I'm impressed." He paused, making an effort to glance between each woman near him and making it obvious that he was doing so. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that my drink was spiked with Felix Felicis. How else could I find myself surrounded by three very gorgeous women in one night?" Cheesy, though it was, he was hoping that it would work. If not, maybe his smile would do it.

Duncan was always charming and polite to her but the dazzling smile she received surprised her. Kay passed it off as him being flattered by indeed being in the company of three ladies. "Hello, Ciara,'' she said, giving her colleague a smile. Then her attention was back to Duncan.

She laughed softly. "You can be such a flirt, Duncan. I daresay we have Gabriella at least to thank for this. I do think it was a wonderful idea to have this set on a ship.'' The woman did not want to cut the other women out of the conversation but she had questions for the potions master. "I never got around to asking you but what do you think of Hogwarts, Duncan? Are you having a great time with us?''

Patting down her slightly fluffy skirt that liked to catch the smallest breeze was something Xavvie was doing often, but she was sure that Slate wouldn't really care about her wardrobe problems. "Mostly wandering. I've been through just about every room, there's lots of interesting stuff to see." She didn't have a date and hadn't felt the need to attach herself to any one person in specific, so she'd been wandering about.

"What about you?" She was curious what the others her age were up to. The older students mostly seemed to be involved in their own goings on, or a lot of kissing.

Are you okay? Why on earth suddenly the Gryffindor prefect asked her that? Did Ava look not okay or maybe because she kind of lost in her thought about tonight? Hmmm... "I am perfect, Noelle. As usual. Thank you for asking, by the way." She answered. Although her conversation with Phillip earlier led them to topic about her mother, whom she had not seen for a long time and it kind of made her a little bit sad. "He's still at the dining saloon, I think. I was just back from the loo and then stopping here at the moment."

Smiling as Noelle complimented her, Ava also admired her dormie!wife person. "You too, friend. By the way, did someone ask you be his/her date tonight?" Cue a wiggling eyebrow. Right now she did not see Noelle was with someone, perhaps she was separated or just going solo tonight.

Slate watched as she patted down her skirt. Despite the uniform being skirts, it seemed that everything tonight looked different. Which, was weird. It was the same. Skirts.

He nodded. He hadn't done all of that. He'd just been to the food and dance floor really. "Things like what?" he asked curiously. And did she want to look together? Or was that weird?

"Food, mostly." he said with a nod. "I saw the dance floor. Not much in there besides kissing."

Anna had no idea where her husband had gone off to, but if she had to take her guess, she'd guess the dining area. She'd tried to track him down long enough, maybe even to dance a little, but she'd had no such luck. Deciding to get some fresh air, she headed to the deck of the ship. She couldn't believe how well this even had turned out. The kids seemed to be loving it, and everything looked so nice.

She took a seat in one of the many chairs and just relaxed as she looked out over the lake. Hogwarts hadn't changed much, and it really felt to her just like coming home again. She allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts and think about days gone by when she was in Gryffindor, was prefect then Head Girl, and also on the house Quidditch team. This place held amazing memories for her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiden Jones

He could not agree more, even if the reasons they had for staying out here a little longer might have been different. "For now." He agreed before moving over to the railing by her and leaning against it too. He looked down at the water below, mildly curious about what might lie down there.

Aiden chuckled at her question, happy for something to break the metaphoric ice that typically engulfed him around those he was not close to. "Warmer than this, I can tell you that." He had tested it for himself the other day, braving the grounds with nothing but a jacket. Not a warming charm in sight. "Snow, like you have here. I guess, in the end...cold." Like he imagined winters in most places would be--barring places that did not truly have winter despite the months being typical winter months.

"I am actually surprised your lake has not frozen over." Looking down at the water that sapped against the boat. "Does it usually?" It would only get colder for the next couple months and he would not have minded some ice skating.

"I don't think I ever asked, how the challenge was for you?" He knew she had been eliminated but from what he had heard, everyone had challenges that differed slightly. He had never heard how hers had gone. Would she consider it too forward? An act of rubbing salt in a wound? He could change the subject if she minded.

She was pleased as she heard Aiden’s laughter, chancing a glance at him beside her for a few moments before returning her gaze outward as she listened attentively to his answer to her question. Her research, done out of curiosity when they had been first been told of their visitors gave her some clue as to where Ivermorny was located but the Ravenclaw had no basis to connect it to before her companion’s comments. Maybe not as far north it seemed, given the cold yet warmer temperature.

At the mention of the lake being frozen, Cassie looked directly down in order to take notice of the closest patch of water. Of course it wasn’t at the moment given the cruise ship had to have water not ice to float on. “Yes and no,” the Ravenclaw answered before shrugging. “To be honest I can’t be certain when its frozen or not each year if its natural or because of the actions of a staff member.” It wasn’t like they didn’t modify their surroundings to suit the purpose of a class, prefect’s even or something else special and not just normal everyday winter activities.

“Though I suppose never fully or Bartholomew wouldn’t like it.” The Giant squid did enjoy playing along the water’s surface. “The merfolk might prefer the isolation from us humans, albeit temporary, however.” They were a complicated bunch after all. She almost continued musing, stopping herself as she realized how much she was talking and almost rambling and became a tad self-conscious of the fact.

And then the challenge came up and Cass bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from sighing. It was no surprise though, it was common ground, at least it had been. “It was…well frustrating might be the right word for it,” the fifth year remarked, searching for words. “Trying to reason with someone who never was going to understand is bound to be that way though.”

Melanie nearly tripped over herself in excitement. Heels were not made for running; they had many uses, but running was not one. "Duncan - " she said breathlessly as she halted in front of her brother, who was, as of character, currently talking to three women at once. Kaysha Stewart, obviously, and two others: the former Potions mistress and someone Melanie didn't recognize. She felt no remorse for interrupting. She kept the package safely tucked under her arm.

"Duncan, our Christmas present has arrived!" she managed to say. Christmas present was a clever use of wording here. "I'm sorry to interrupt, ladies - " Melanie Williams had never felt less sorry - "But Duncan and I have been awaiting this present from our mother for months now. Oh Circe, it's finally come!" she felt tears come to her ears. The tears might have lacked honesty. Mother was also an interesting word, wasn't it? Had Duncan caught that?

"Come, brother," Melanie took his hand. There was a mysterious light aflame in her dark eyes.

Amongst everything, the word flirt was what struck out to him the most. It was a word that often followed him around and there was never a clear-cut definition as to whether it was good or bad. So, he went for the easiest option right now, which was to smile charmingly. "Well, I mean, can you blame me?"

Ah, the question. What did he think of Hogwarts? His answer was immediately a negative one. The weather was atrocious, there were no Dunkin Donuts around these parts - who knew? - and worst of all, the first challenge was making a mockery out of No-Majs. So his only option to not offend a member of the rival school was to find some ray of hope in the endlessly rainy outlook that was this experience. "It's been an interesting experience. I've learnt a lot during this stay already." It might not have been the honest, humble truth but it wasn't a lie either. "It's a new experience to be in an actual castle with a rich history - we don't see a lot of those back in the States." Ilvermorny, for one, wasn't in a castle. "Best of all, the food isn't too shabby. It's even making me forget about deep dish pizz-."

"... as."

There was no ignoring the interruption and he wouldn't want to. Maybe he should be thankful for this interruption; all that smiling was starting to get painful and he wasn't a fan. Besides, for her to interrupt him was not only surprising, but also intriguing. There had to be a good reason for this.

And there it was.

Comprehension dawned on his face. There was no mistaking the present she was talking about or the look on her face when she was talking about it. Then there was the matter of mother which, yes, was an interesting word. There was no need to mention anything else. Not when Melanie's acting skills were about as transparent as Veritaserum itself. She was sly, yes, but he could see through the facade.

Duncan turned to the three ladies and said, "Apologies. I have to go and open the present Melanie's talking about. It was nice to meet you, Gabrielle. Nice to see you again, Ciara." Politeness? There was too much of it. His eyes turned to Kaysha and he smiled for the, hopefully, last time during this event. "See you around, Kaysha."

With that, the Potions Master swept away, hand in Melanie's...

"Sucks he couldn't," Sam said, joining her on the sofa. "Did you come with Mason?" She knew that'd been the plan at some point, but she hadn't ventured far enough on the boat to know if he was here or not. It wouldn't surprise her if he was holed up with a book back in the castle somewhere. "Anywhere else exciting to hang out on board? Food any good?"

She was curious, as much as anything. She didn't really feel hungry. Although perhaps a drink wouldn't go amiss.

She arched an eyebrow. "I think you're trying to get me to challenge you," she responded with a wry smile. Goodness knows there were plenty of people here who would make a decent challenge. Most of the Ilvermorny folks for starters. "You're always had that it more than I have." It was a sort of external confidence, even if she knew that Dora had her own internal worries.

And she shouldn't have mentioned Astrea. Sam caught that look, and her stomach knotted. It sucked that her bestie felt so strongly about her fledging relationship, and after the disappointment of this evening, Dora was lucky that the Ravenclaw just averted her gaze and placed her hands neatly in her lap. She rubbed her lips together slowly, and watched as some of the American students strolled past. She couldn't ignore Dora's next question, though.

"No...why?" They'd exchanged a couple of owls, but she figured she'd get to see him over the holidays to catch up properly. If he wanted to. Things had been a bit weird since the summer, although maybe that was just her.