Tiny Dancer, where'd you go? (Open)

[DANTE VICTOR ASHWIND]

(OOC note: If it makes it easier, it can be played as though he's in this room throughout the entire feast. Though I haven't ended it that way, this way with the note it might make it easier if anyone wants to join it.)



“Damn it all!”

Frustrated and just plain bothered, Dante threw his right boot at the gargoyle statue, twitching slightly when it just bounced off and did nothing. Because it was totally sensible that they send him to the Headmaster’s Office… and not give him the freakin password!!! He’d been standing there for around 3 hours now, arguing with a freaking statue. Apparently, the professors were very busy preparing for the feast later on that evening which was…

…figures, his watch just had to die.

Sighing heavily, Dante trudged over to his fallen shoe and pulled it back onto his foot. He couldn’t exactly go and do his own thing because for one, he hadn’t been sorted yet, and two, some teenager wandering the halls in a crimson robe with denim flare jeans and a black tank top was totally inconspicuous. While still pondering on how to enter that stupid office, Dante picked at a black stain on his robe, wondering when that had gotten there and what it was. He wasn’t fussed, if worse came to worse he could always sleep in the library… that wasn’t such a bad idea…

Brown eyes lit up slightly, recognition sparking in them. If he found the library, he could read up on the school and do something constructive instead of sitting around being bored stupid. “I’ll be back…” Dante uttered, glaring at the statue before stalking off in the opposite direction. It wasn’t as though he was lost or anything. He was on the second floor, and…

…ok, so maybe, just maybe he was lost.

“This is what I get for being directionally dysfunctional.” Dante grumbled, pulling out his wand and casting a simple ‘Point me’ spell in order to at least get his bearings. It didn’t help him much, but at least he could know which compass direction he was heading as he wandered up and down the halls and corridors of the Second Floor.

Dante had an exceptionally bad habit of opening and closing every door that made him curious, and well… unless it was strictly marked to ward him away (eg, the girl’s lavatory) he tended to have a little look around. What he didn’t expect to find however was a classroom that... that looked like it was used for Charms. Curious, Dante ventured further into the classroom, running his hands over the desks and chairs, smiling softly at random scrawls that had been etched into the wood.

He was good at Charms. He liked the subject and liked how free you could be as well as creative. Glancing up to the front of the classroom, Dante had to refrain from smiling.

They had a chalkboard.

Practically running over to it Dante whipped out his wand and immediately a very bright, colourful charm lit up the end by his will alone. Chewing on his bottom lip a little, Dante tucked his soft brown hair behind his ear before he moved his wand over the board like he was drawing. The same coloured light flew from his wand tip, seemingly having a mind of its own, however with each movement Dante made, a new line of colour appeared and in the space of just a few minutes he’d drawn one of the castles close to his home and with brilliant detail.

Dante’s only other passion was art, drawing more specifically, and since there was no chalk that he could find, he’d just have to draw with one of the spells he’d found in Japan. “You married a music man… ballerina… you must’ve seen her. Dancing in the sand. Now she’s in me, always with me… tiny dancer, in my hand…” He’d heard the song a few days ago off one of the record’s he’d picked up at a store. Tiny Dancer by Elton John released only four years ago and still… Dante found the song to be rather beautiful both melody and harmony wise. Then again, no witch or wizard would’ve heard the song before… well, unless they were into muggle pop music anyway.

[ELLE ALEXANDRA WALKER]

((ooc- I figured she could easily have skipped the beginning preparations to come find you! Unless this isn't the sort of time-frame you were looking for. I wasn't 100% sure. Just let me know if you want me to change anything!))

Elle arrived at Hogwarts with a smile on her face. This was her final year at school, her final year to make a difference, to have some fun, to learn things in a structured environment instead of out in the real world, where she would be in mere months. It was a scary and exciting thought, though it would be a lot better if she was confident in what she wanted to do. Part of her felt like she was going to go into Auror training, that it was what she was destined to do. She supposed her marks in this year’s classes would determine that, though.

Elle was pretty excited when she got her first real assignment as Head Girl. Barely had she stepped foot in the Great Hall before she was approached by one of the Professors. They informed her that there was a new student this year, a fifth year, who was supposed to meet with the Headmaster but had never actually done so. The assumption was that he had gotten lost in the ever-changing maze that was his new school. Though she wasn’t glad that the new student appeared to be lost somewhere in the castle (because, let’s face it, with all of the passageways and moving staircases and horrible portraits who will point people in the wrong direction even though they hadn’t done anything to deserve to be misguided) she was glad that it gave her a chance to help someone out.

New black school robes billowing out behind her as she walked, Elle kept a brisk pace as she wandered the halls, listening or looking for any signs of disruption or occupation. Open doors… clicking shoes… voices… anything. She remembered back to when she was a first year, and all of those days during the first month of classes when she had gotten lost. No amount of preparation could help you be able to catch every staircase at just the right time. Of course, if you made the right connections and you had some nice friends, passwords to portraits often helped bridge gaps between entire floors, with secret passageways providing a more direct route than the unreliability of moving stairs. She ended up on the wrong side of the floor she needed to be on more times than she could count.

Her attention was caught by the very vague sound of a melody floating through the air. Elle loved music of any kind, and when she heard the gentle sound of a voice drifting through the air she knew that she must’ve been close. She followed it as best she could, careful not to step too loudly and drown out the noise at first, when it was very light. Soon she could hear it clearly and follow it easily down into the Charms corridor. How on earth had he wandered all the way out here?

“You know you have a lovely voice,” Elle commented, entering the room. She found the boy in flare jeans and a deep red robe, obviously not in any sort of formal Hogwarts attire, or really proper wizard clothing at all. Since she had a partially muggle background, Elle automatically recognized the popular pants style and wondered if he was a muggle born, or just really into the muggle style. She knew a few purebloods who invested in a nice pair of jeans.

The next thing that caught her attention was the drawing of a castle. It was so well done that at first she thought it had been left there for a class, done professionally for some reason. But then she noticed the glowing tip of the boy’s wand and realized that he had been the one to draw the castle. “That’s brilliant!” she started, about to go into a rant of praise before realizing how rude she was being. ”I’m sorry! I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Elle Walker, I’m the Head Girl this year at Hogwarts.” She felt sort of pompous for including her title, not liking the way it just sounded like she was bragging. But she had thrown it in there so it didn’t seem quite so weird that a random girl had shown up looking for him in an otherwise empty (except for the Great Hall, of course) castle.

[DANTE VICTOR ASHWIND]

(OOC: No that’s fine ^^ I love your reply. Thank you so much!)

It was so easy for Dante to completely forget about the world around him when he was stuck in his little muse filled zone. His mind was transfixed on every line, every stroke, already jumping ahead to details that should only be focused on later, but to him were crucial in the now. During his little painting session, he’d already pushed his fingers through his hair more than once, forgetting that he was holding a wand with a spell attached and inadvertently, painting his hair.

Now he had several multicoloured splatters on his robe, a smudge on his cheek and just above his left eye, not to mention that the right side of his fringe would more than likely be stained grey for the next week or so. Despite the mess however, the artwork he was making showed just how talented he was in certain aspects, put him near a cauldron however and you’d see how horribly abysmal he is in others…

“You know you have a lovely voice,”

Soft brown eyes grew wide, his grip tightening on his wand as a reflex. Turning quickly, Dante nearly cursed himself for being caught off guard. In previous schools, he’d probably be dead by now, where had his mind been?! …oh, right… on the drawing. Absently Dante bit down on his bottom lip, automatically assuming that because he’d drawn on the chalkboard he was going to get into trouble. The last thing he needed was to be kicked out of school on his first day… then what options did he have?

Not wanting to seem rude however, Dante offered a very small smile. “Thank you.” He hadn’t meant to be heard, and to be honest he didn’t think that his singing was any good at all… pitchy in places, slightly off key at times… ok, so fair, but not deserving of the word ‘lovely’. Quiet brown eyes studied the blonde for a moment, taking note that she was wearing a uniform and a black robe. Black, figures.

Dante’s robe was from the last school he wore, the emblem imprinted on the inside and mostly hidden by his back. Communist China was definitely a… different place to attend school. Kill or be killed in a nutshell, and it was mainly for that reason Dante was slightly on edge. This school wasn’t like that, not from what he’d read. Apparently duelling was banned in the hallways and killing people far out of the question… well, of course, if dark magic was forbidden, then of course killing was. Logically anyway…

“That’s brilliant!” Perhaps he should also pay more attention to whatever this… odd girl was saying. Following her line of sight Dante realised that she was looking at the castle he drew. It wasn’t that brilliant… and the fact she’d complimented him on it made him blush slightly. His little talent for art was something he generally kept to himself, but having someone compliment him like that, even indirectly was definitely a boost to his small ego. Her apology made him smile, and the blush faded, but it felt nice just that someone was being kind to him. It was the least thing he’d expected.

“Pleasure to meet you Miss Walker,” Dante began, inclining his head slightly. Head Girl… he’d read that in a couple of history books, about certain famous people being Head Boy or Girl at Hogwarts. This year… meaning only one per year and judging by the look of her, only those in their final year could accept the position. “I’m Dante Ashwind. You don’t need to apologise, you weren’t in the wrong… though I do thank you for the compliment. I don’t think it’s that brilliant though…”

Absently, Dante shook his wand a little to get rid of the spell, effectively splattering his boot in multicoloured paint in the process. “I um… I probably should’ve asked someone before drawing all over it… I’m sorry…” And he honestly was. It wasn’t like Dante to just up and break any kind of rule, especially ones he may not have heard of. Even though he wasn’t extremely social, he was at least polite enough to make some kind of conversation.

Not wanting to be more of a bother, Dante moved to pocket his wand, but as a second thought waved it just once over the chalkboard to erase what he’d drawn. His only other problem besides getting into the headmaster’s office was what to say now. He wasn’t good at socialising, he never had been and it was a flaw he’d yet to find a way to correct. Nervous enough because he stuck out like a sore thumb, Dante shifted his weight onto his right leg, just standing there silently. This wasn’t exactly the best start to his first night.

[ELLE ALEXANDRA WALKER]

((ooc- okay! Also, sorry if this is terrible. I should not be allowed to write things late at night with little sleep!))

Elle did take notice of the magical chalk-paint substance and the fact that it appeared to be everywhere; on the boy’s robes, in his hair, on his face, and of course the bit that actually ended up on the chalkboard. Looking at the drawing, Elle couldn’t help but ponder about talents such as art, or music. There weren’t classes to each such things, even as random electives later on at Hogwarts. She wondered how much she was missing out on more fun aspects of culture instead of just book work. She was aware that muggle schools often taught classes on arts and music and the like, her mother had come from a family of non-magical background and had told her all about life without such gifted powers. Sure, magic had it’s benefits, but who knew what she was missing out on by not taking classes like that. Maybe she could’ve been a great artist, or pianist, or something. Then again, it was never too late to start learning now!

But all of those thoughts were neither here nor there. With the excitement of the start of the term and her final year and being Head Girl, she had to admit that her thoughts were everywhere lately. She had so much to think about that her mind often found it difficult to choose just one of those things and focus.

Elle felt bad for startling the boy like that. She hadn’t meant to sneak up on him, she thought he would’ve heard her enter the room or come down the hall. That didn’t seem to be the case, as Elle wouldn’t have been surprised if he gave himself whiplash. He blushed after she complimented his drawing and she got the impression that he didn’t often showcase things he drew. She didn’t blame him – she used to write things, poems and lyrics mainly, but she would never show them to anyone. There was something difficult about sharing things that you create, for her it was a sense of vulnerability. She hadn’t meant to put him in that position with the drawing, but it was kind of hard to not take notice of the chalkboard.

”Oh, please, just call me Elle,” she said. Where had this boy come from, that he was calling her Miss? So polite! She wasn’t complaining, but it was not something she was used to, especially not around here. ”It’s nice to meet you too, Dante. And you’re welcome!” She wanted to ask Dante what sort of spell it was that he had used, since she was pretty sure that she hadn’t seen anything quite like it before. Watching him shake the remainder of the paint from his wand intrigued Elle who was captivated by his actions but not wanting to pry.

Elle just shook her head as he apologized for using the chalkboard without permission. ”Oh, no, trust me, it’s fine! No one else was going to use it tonight anyway, and I’m sure the Professor won’t mind—“ she was going to say that the Professor wouldn’t mind clearing it in the morning, but before she could Dante took it upon himself to remove all traces of the drawing.

“So, it is safe to assume that you’re the new student, then?” She wasn’t sure what else to say except for the obvious, and wanted to kick herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course, it kept their little conversation going, though she knew that she’d have to take him either to the Headmaster’s office or down to the Sorting Ceremony, depending on how late it was. She really had no sense of how long she had been wandering the halls in search of Dante to know how late it had become. ”Don’t worry. The castle can be really confusing for a little while, but you’ll get the hang of the stairwells and different floor layouts soon enough. Elle reassured him, assuming he had gotten lost on his way to somewhere. She doubted he had sought out the charms classroom just to draw!

((ooc- I didn’t know if you wanted him to make it back to the Headmaster’s office in time or if you planned on him going straight to the Great Hall, so it’s up to you!))

[DANTE VICTOR ASHWIND]

”Oh, please, just call me Elle,” He inclined his head just a fraction at the request. If that was what she preferred, then that’s what he’d call her. It was mainly habit that he called her ‘Miss’ but it got a nice reaction none the less. A very small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, lighting up his soft brown eyes for the moment. It was very easy to feel relaxed around this… Elle. She was sweet, kind-hearted and friendly, easily approachable unlike Dante half the time.

You could say that it was a bad habit of his to both listen, and think along his own train of thought. While Elle spoke about how him using the board was fine, he was already thinking of the counter-spell to remove the paint, and had done so before she finished her sentence. Intrigued at the sudden pause in her words, he turned to look at her, just watching her for the most part to see if she’d continue. Apparently not, seeing as a change of subject was in order, and as Dante shifted his weight to his right leg he listened to her.

“So, it is safe to assume that you’re the new student, then?” Another soft smile graced his features, allowing Dante to feel a little more relaxed and less on-guard around Miss Elle Walker.

“Yes. It would be safe to assume that.” He answered, twirling his wand between his fingers for a moment before absently tucking it behind his ear. He was grateful at least that she was easy to talk to, it made him feel a fraction less awkward and though not at all confident, it was soothing just to hear someone talk to him like he was just a normal kid. “Is this place… always so confusing?” It was brave of Dante to even admit that he was confused about this new school, seeing as he could’ve sworn at least two doors had vanished no sooner then he’d passed them. Miss Walker seemed to have an answer though, and it was very reassuring to hear that though it’d be confusing at first, he’d get the hang of it.

“Well I certainly hope I get the hang of it…” Dante uttered, smiling to her briefly before picking at a splotch of paint that had landed on his robe. “Oh… I was outside the Headmaster’s office before, but no matter how many different passwords I thought of I couldn’t get in…” He began, glancing back up to Miss Walker with a slightly… hopeful look on his fair features. “It ended with me throwing my shoe at the stupid thing, but I’ve done… stupider things, to say the least.” If the look on his face was anything to go by, he really was telling the truth.

“Would you mind leading me back there? Or is it too late to see the Headmaster? I know that there’s um… some kind of feast, or something… to welcome everyone, but if I’m not sorted it’d make for an awkward kind of entrance. And I heard only first years got sorted in front of everyone and I don’t want to set off on the wrong foot and….” Well, if one thing was to be said about Dante, when he worries he worries.. and when he gets stuck on one thought, that tangent is all he can think about. He knew he was rambling, and he knew that he should shut up, but every bad thought he’d been stuck on over the last few hours had come back to rear their ugly heads.

After what felt like forever, Dante forcibly closed his mouth, even if he was in mid-sentence. “I-I’m sorry Miss Elle… I didn’t mean to go off like that.” Curse him and his stupid mouth… why couldn’t anything work right?

(ooc: I’m not fussed over where he gets sorted. Headmaster’s office would be easier on him, but I’m usually very mean to my character’s. So public humiliation’s fine by me too XD. I can leave the decision on if he’d make it to the Headmaster’s office or not up to you, but if they do go there Elle’ll probably be asked to witness his sorting and he’ll be sent to his dorm. >> just so you know where my mind is currently XD. Also I’m so sorry for the delay.)

[ELLE ALEXANDRA WALKER]

Elle had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised by the new kid’s manners. It wasn’t often that you found anyone willing to call someone ‘miss’, let alone a younger student. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was a cultural thing, from wherever he was from, or if it was a result of some spectacular (or strict) familial upbringing. She wasn’t going to pry, though, because she didn’t want to say the wrong thing, or phrase something the wrong way.

The always smiling habit was one that Elle had picked up on from an early age. She found that making friends and meeting new people in general, no matter what the social situation, went so much easier if she smiled more. Her mother said it made her more approachable. She didn’t care what the reasoning behind it was, just that it kept working like it did. She really was as easy to talk to and get along with as she let on, which was a plus. She had met a few people who were misleadingly open upon first meeting them, people who later turned out to be mean or close-minded.

“Well I certainly hope I get the hang of it…” Elle nodded, reassuring him with her body language as well as her words that he would be fine. ”You will. And there are plenty of helpful people around, especially if you ask someone from your own house, who will be sure to point you in the right direction until you figure it all out.” She didn’t want to say that it would most likely be the Slytherins who would send him in the wrong direction because he hadn’t been sorted yet, and could very well end up in Slytherin himself! Then how awkward would she feel!

“Oh… I was outside the Headmaster’s office before, but no matter how many different passwords I thought of I couldn’t get in… It ended with me throwing my shoe at the stupid thing, but I’ve done… stupider things, to say the least.” However tempting it was, Elle didn’t ask what the stupider things were. Of course she believed him, and she only giggled a little at the image of Dante throwing a shoe at the statue that opened up to the staircase leading to the Headmaster’s Office. ”Well, I’m sure the shoe didn’t do the statue much damage,” she pointed out. ”I’m also sure that people have done worse. I believe last year someone got so frustrated because they forgot the password that they tried to hex the thing open. The statue burst into thousands of pieces, poor kid was scared half to death. The nurse had to bring him a calming draught before he could actually go in to see the Headmaster!” Elle laughed at the memory, loving the sorts of stories you collected when on Prefect’s duty. Of course, now she was Head Girl instead of Prefect, but the duties were essentially the same, and she was eager for a whole new year’s worth of stories to start happening.

Realizing she was starting to daydream about the future again, Elle brought her focus back to the situation at hand. Dante seemed very worried all of a sudden, something she could easily tell by the way his speaking had gone from barely a sentence at a time to an entire paragraph about feasts and welcoming and getting off on the right foot. “Would you mind leading me back there? Or is it too late to see the Headmaster? I know that there’s um… some kind of feast, or something… to welcome everyone, but if I’m not sorted it’d make for an awkward kind of entrance. And I heard only first years got sorted in front of everyone and I don’t want to set off on the wrong foot and….” Elle listened to every word, nodding slowly as he spoke. She was a worrier too, once her mind was concerned about something, and she could sympathize with his train of thought. She was about to tell him that it was fine, and they could probably catch the Headmaster before the feast, when Dante cut himself off by stopping his mini-rant and apologizing. “I-I’m sorry Miss Elle… I didn’t mean to go off like that.”

”It’s fine!”

[/i] Elle assured him. ”It’s a lot to take in, with the new school and getting lost and knowing you have to be sorted yet. I’d be worried too! But we should be fine. It takes a little while for everyone to get up to the castle from the train anyway, so I’m sure the Headmaster is still in his office. If not, we could always sneak you into the Great Hall and you can eat with me at the Hufflepuff table, then get sorted after the feast, so you don’t have to do it with the first years.” Elle wasn’t sure if she really had the authority to be making a decision like that, but it seemed rational to her, and she was sure that the Headmaster wouldn’t have a problem with that, if they were too late. But she was pretty sure they could still catch him In his office.

”Come on, I’ll lead the way. I just got the new password about an hour ago, so you’ll actually be able to get in this time, and hopefully we can get you all sorted out before the feast!” Elle prided herself in being a quick thinker, and she usually was able to take every situation in stride, thinking of quick solutions and easy fixes to most problems that were presented to her. This was, thankfully, one of those times.

((ooc- sorry for the delay on my end as well! I’m thinking just to make poor Dante’s life easier (and for easier plot-purposes) we could just have him sorted before the feast, if you ‘re cool with that. Since there isn’t an official Feast thread or anything, and who knows what’s up with a timeline at this point, it’s probably easiest that way, haha!)) [/center][/size]