a spirit of fire

[winonaxmonroe]

they're getting a bit of stares at this point but she doesn't care - had they been back home, they'd have been fighting to be the loudest in the hall. eventually winnie loads up a plate of snacks she can find and leads herself over to abeni, dodging the dancers and prances in between. "no corn dogs," she adds with a defeated sigh, "but we got deviled eggs. i think i saw a twinkie back there. a bit of funnel cake as well." she nods, popping another mini hotdog in her mouth - she wasn't going to complain, but it was no cookout she was used to. "alright," the thunderbird offers finally, "give me the skinny on who you've talked to. you seen some of these folks? shit, i've been single for way too long."

[abenipaycuma]

If there was one thing Abeni was used it, it was being stared at. Regardless of the reason, she found it a commonality across her life and so she paid it no mind. She grinned at the other woman as she got closer, thrilled there was no more of a need to yell quite as loudly, though Abeni was never one to refuse to make a spectacle if needed. "You know deviled eggs crawled out of Satan's asshole to spite us all," she sniffed. "But I would kill a man for a good funnel cake," Abeni added with a grin. Settling down to spill the beans to her best friend, Abeni leaned it. "They all seem so terribly stiff, like old dolls," she started. "A few of the Gryffindors seem like decent enough people though, and frankly this school is filled with insanely hot people. It just isn't fair! How about you? Seen anyone catch your eye?"

[dorcasmeadowsx]

who: @abenipaycuma

where: the great hall

The concept of putting a bunch of students into one room with music and beverages was always a dangerous concept, but to bring an entire other school across the pond to join the Hogwarts student population? That was just guaranteed to be an explosion of drama and drunkenness, waiting to detonate. However, Dorcas was still yet to interact with anybody from Ilvermony.

After an issue with her dress earlier in the evening, Dorcas settled down at a table, finally with a drink in hand. Enjoying the pop of fizz that danced on her tongue upon her first sip, Dorcas glanced around the table she had sat at. Hearing the brief murmur of an American accent. Raising an eyebrow, she looked over at the student. "I'm guess you're from Ilvermony?" Dorcas smiled softly, "How are you finding it across the pond?"

[abenipaycuma]

Abeni would have been lying if she said she hadn't been looking forward to the pub culture here in the UK, though her ability to actually visit any of these legendary spots of music and community had been severally limited by an extremely annoying curfew and the Hogwarts castle being in the middle of nowhere, with only a few small villages dotted around it. So by the time Abeni sat down with a well-spiked punch in her hand, she was excited to try something other than a drink from the Three Broomsticks. Careful to ensure nothing spilled on her beadwork, Abeni took a careful sip... And found it lacking. Perhaps it would grow on her with time, but she was missing that sting of the moonshine an enterprising eighth year Horned Serpent had snuck over here.

"I thought they'd have better things on deck," Abeni had muttered only to immediately cut herself off with a smile at the British accent that addressed her. "'Ay, what gave it away? The fact that I'm crashing your pad, wincing at the food?" She shook her head. "Sorry girl, that was mean. We could blame my feet aching but I'm sometimes just a general dickwad." Shaking her head slightly, Abeni smiled at Dorcas. "It's not as bad as my complaining makes it seem. I love having a good boogie and it's great to see the infamous highlands. But," she added with a lean in and a smirk, "What about you? Don't mind us hippies invading your school? Are you jivin'?"

[winonaxmonroe]

where: yule ball

who: abeni @abenipaycuma

"hey! HEY!" winnie calls across the entirety of the great hall to the other side, attempting to get abeni's attention as she waves one hand towards her, a snack in the other. "look!" she shouts again, not able to contain her laughter too much. "pigs in a blanket!" she laughs, holding up the small treat in her hand. a humorous attempt, she believes, from the hogwarts staff to include some american dishes for their guests. it's sweet, winnie thinks, but not as sweet as it is hilarious, and she wonders what else she'll find on the table that might tickle her.

[abenipaycuma]

"Winona!" Abeni sent that name as far as she could across the room as she could, despite her discomfort in these massive piles of cold stone and fires desperately trying to make it seem kinder than it was. Taking a few steps forward, she squints her eyes at the plate and as the announcement reached her, she doubled over , holding her sides in laughter. "Oh you're shitting me!" Rolls of laughter cascaded from her, bobbing in time with her hair. Straightening up, she called back "Have you seen any corndogs? That shit's off the hook, though," she added in a laugh, "I feel like I'm at a fairgrounds!"

[abenipaycuma]

a closed starter for @bellaaegis

what: the yule ball!

Abeni had made a promise to herself when she came over from the States. It was a simple promise, made with every intention to get that MACUSA job she'd been hoping for since she turned 17. She wasn't going to start any fights while she was there. Abeni had promised herself that over and over, reminding herself that no matter how wrong whomever she met over there was, she wouldn't hex or punch her way into getting sent home early.

Bellatrix Black was making this promise very fucking hard to keep. It was going to make Abeni start buggin.

Having long ago decided conflict was best done when spoken plainly and directed to the source of the problem, Abeni marched over to the other girl and folded her arms. "Girl, what crawled up your ass and died? You don't look super happy to see us Yankees."

[abenipaycuma]

a closed starter for @bxrbxge where: the yule ball!

Once, there was a girl and her sister. Once, those sisters were pulled apart through no choice of their own and Abeni had been desperately warring against it ever since. It, after all, wasn't fair that Aberash lived in one world and she lived in another, never supposed to connect despite being twins. How desperately she longed for her sister beside her and how simple it would be to introduce her if only the laws were on her side. But here, across a sea and so many hours away from her entire family, Abeni thought she'd never see anyone with sense again. Of course, that lasted until she met Charity.

Charity seemed a reasonable kind of person, the kind that Abeni, were she back home, would be happy to call a friend. She also looked less like she was caressing the balls of some rich asshole like some of the purebloods here tended to appear as. And wasn't that a thing, to define someone on blood? It never crossed Abeni's mind to draw friendships like that, but it seemed common enough here that it hurt her head. Until, of course, a reasonable kind of woman appeared.

"You know," Abeni said, propped up against the snack tables, "this entire thing really feels like my sister's prom. Was that the goal here, or..." She trailed off, giving a grin to the other girl, "I don't mean to be a dick about it! But I didn't realize I was going to an adult prom, and not something like a wedding. Feel a bit like I'm scrapping with my own outfit. What on Earth is a 'Yule Ball' even meant to be?"

[abenipaycuma]

a closed starter for @themxgglebrn

what: the yule ball!

No one could blame Abeni for bringing her own seasonings across the ocean. She hadn't a bit of faith in the ability of her hosts to season anything, even if she and her friends were currently living in train cars. And what an American thing that was, pulling her back to the stories of the Boxcar Kids and their dog. But she had heard the stories and she had made herself comfortable with the understanding that this was going to be miserable. Reminding herself of the possible MACUSA job that awaited her on the other side of it all, she decided to grit her teeth and bear it.

Until, of course, she met another woman with hair like a sunset caught on fire, like a dawn in the summer, and then the teeth were ungritted and a genuine smile came to dance about her face. "Lily," she called, hand raised in greeting, "You look gorgeous, dear! Finna to take that dress from you later," she declared with a wink, "Though it's been a minute since I've worn this." Abeni turned in a circle, allowing her regalia to shine as it was meant to. "Word to my mama, I never thought I'd be wearing this over here, but don't I look gorgeous?"