Open Christmas Carousing

[Solomon Tofilau]

Open after Marijke posts with @Chloe Thompson

Objectively, Sully knew he probably should want to spend tonight having a special evening with Chloë. After all, they only had so many left to have together before he graduated. But dwelling on the idea for too long bummed Sully out. It was his last year and he wanted to enjoy it to its fullest, not sit around thinking about what was going to happen in a few months between the two of them. It helped that Professor Josephs had pulled out or the stops, the hall feeling closer to a proper Kiwi Christmas than it ever had with all its enchanted snow and stuff. It reminded him of being at home for the holidays, crowded family bbq's near the water and the urge to surround himself in that noise grew stronger by the second. Though Sully did still hope there was some mistletoe stashed around somewhere.

He'd not wasted any time dragging Chloë out to a notable spot in the hall, flagging down just about any recognizable face he could see as he grabbed a drink, wanting to spend the night with as many friends as possible. "Happy Christmas, yeah?" he announced, raising a glass to anyone nearby, Chloë included, of course, before downing the fejoa juice in a long pull.

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë started to think that maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't be trying to ignore the fact that Sully was leaving the school in a couple of months anymore. That maybe they should talk about it. Especially after noticing a surprisingly familiar story in the monthly a short while ago. Talking about it meant she had to acknowledge the fact that it was actually happening though and while it seemed like the smarter option she just didn't really want to yet. Perhaps staying naïve about it all for a little longer and having fun without thinking about it wouldn't be so bad.

Which was exactly what she planned on doing. Having fun spending the night with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who apparently seemed to have other plans by the looks of it. Chloë tried her best not to let it bother her and gave a small smile as Sully flagged down some of his friends as soon as he had dragged her into the all. It wasn't that she didn't want other people around, but a little alone time first would've been nice. It was their last yule ball together, after all. At the same time she didn't think she could blame him because it was just that. Their last yule ball. His last yule ball. And if he wanted to spend that time with some friends around she felt like she had to be supportive of that. Even if a little notice beforehand would've been nice. "Right, merry christmas." She smiled before taking a sip of her own drink, curious what the night would bring.

 

[Aisa Hunter]

Aisa's social life had been a mess all school year, and it was her fault. Things between her and Sully hadn't been that weird, but the fact that it wasn't was strange. Sully seemed to be ignoring what had happened entirely, and Aisa was trying her best to follow his lead. But she still felt guilty every time she saw Chloë, which was quite often considering they were in the same house and both spent time with Sully. She felt even more miserable seeing Adorah head into the hall with Noel. It wasn't unexpected, but it still made her stomach clench. Another reminder of something she had messed up.

Sully called for Aisa to come over along with a few others, and she had no good reason to say no since she was here by herself. Though if she really needed to she could always flee with the excuse of having to take Accio pictures. She tried to hide the tension she felt as she joined her best friend and his girlfriend, pretending to feel relaxed. Aisa still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Sully. She feared she might have feelings for him, feelings that had caused her to kiss him even though she knew it was a bad idea. But he had a girlfriend, and he hadn't kissed her back. Aisa was trying her very best not to examine those feelings too closely. Aisa grabbed herself a drink, raising it in a toast as well. "Merry Christmas." She said quietly, not quite looking at Chloë.

 

[Michael Newton]

Michael had (pretty much) gotten over the catastrophe that was his break-up with Kas at one of his last dances. At the same time, he only had a few more left, and seeing as there was opportunity for having a good time sans partners, he had made his way across the ball near many other Gryffindors, drink in hand. "Huzzah!" he cheered along with Sully's toast. Moving towards Aisa, he titled up his glass to his fellow seventh year. "Enjoying youself?" he asked the girl as he snuck a quick kissy face at Sully. Ever since the dating extavaganza, he'd found it funny to randomly flirt with the guy. Not like anything was going to happen, as he enjoyed being friends too much. Michael just hoped it didn't bother Chloë.

 

[Solomon Tofilau]

Sully grinned at the Gryffindors gathered around with him, throwing an arm around Chloë's waist to try and keep her close as the group joined his little toast. "Keep doing that, Newt, and I'm gonna find some mistletoe," Sully said in mock warning, tilting his glass towards Newt with a laugh. It was good to have his friends around for a proper end of year celebration and Sully kept his eyes out for anyone else nearby who he could hail over to hang. He was already envisioning ideas for cool ways to truly end the year next semester, but he mostly filed the thoughts away for later, he'd already decided he wasn't thinking about that yet.

"Nice these Europeans are getting a proper Christmas this year too, aye, Aisa," he added, nodding to Aisa and gesturing to the rest of the room with his chin, enjoying a little shared moment he only really got with Aisa with them both being muggleborn kiwis. He knew the school was based off the one up in the UK but it was nice to remember where they actually were sometimes. "My family's gonna do a big as BBQ this year so we can meet my sister's girlfriend's family, wonder if I can convince them to let me do the lights and stuff. I could probably figure it out," he said thoughtfully, glancing up at the enchanted decorations around them and taking some mental notes.

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë was glad that Sully already seemed to be enjoying himself as more of his friends joined them. It was a nice thing to be a part of but at the same time it felt a little odd seeing them all hang out with the knowledge that they'd be gone next year. She quickly shook that thought off though and focussed on the positives, laughing at Michael and Sully's banter instead. "Should we just leave you two to it then?" She joked, moving as though she was stepping away but not really doing so in the end as she felt far too comfortable right where she was with his arm around her.

Chloë smiled when Sully talked about christmas, keeping herself from making a comment about being downgraded to 'these europeans' as she was more keen to hear what Aisa had to say. Last year she had wondered for a second if maybe she would have a new friend in the girl but that hadn't actually happened. It would've been nice, especially since she knew she was such good friends with Sully, but in reality she had just ended up wondering if the other girl didn't like her. If she was avoiding her for some reason. Surely that was just all in her head though. "They are very pretty, I reckon that would help make a good first impression." She smiled when Sully mentioned the decorations, admiring the firefly-like lights drifting through the air as she wondered whether he would be able to pull that off. At the same time, she tried to hide the little pang of jealousy she felt at the idea of having a bbq with his family. "So," Chloë said as she focussed back on the gryffindors around her. "What do you guys wanna do? It's your party."

 

[Aisa Hunter]

Aisa was relieved when Michael joined them, at least she wasn't completely alone with Sully and Chloë. But her heart sank a bit when Michael joked about kissing Sully. It was just a lighthearted joke, but it made her feel awkward. What made her feel worse was that Sully seemed to be completely fine and unbothered. He spoke to her, and it took her a moment to realize it. "Oh, right." She said, smiling quickly. "Yeah, it's nice I guess." She said. Truthfully, she was pretty glad about the new decorations. It felt more like Christmas to her than the snow and winter theming they usually got. She nodded in agreement with Chloe's statement, though she sipped her drink instead of saying anything to her. She wondered if she should just flee and get it over with, though as she glanced at Sully she couldn't quite make herself do it yet. "I'm fine just having snacks and drinks. You guys can dance if you want." She said with a shrug.

 

[Michael Newton]

Michael grinned at Sully and batted his eyelashes. "Agh, mistletoe is for those who don't know they want a kiss from someone. You already have me, hook, line, and sinker." As Chloe commented on their banter, he laughed and shrugged off the conversation, finding Aisa to be less enthusiastic than the others. "Aw, come on! It's our last Ball, and we might as well make fools of ourselves. I've got some new dance moves to test out. The mashed potato is gonna be the next big thing!" he shouted as he held his hand out towards Aisa, hoping she'd come join them on the dance floor. Michael quickly heard an upbeat song that distracted him and spun into an open area as he started the routine for the muggle "Electric Slide," and it clearly did not match the rhythm of whatever was playing in the Great Hall.

 

[Solomon Tofilau]

Sully laughed at Newt, and then Chloë reaction, glad he had a girlfriend who was as chill about him joking around as she was. And funny too. He was also glad she seemed confident he could pull off the right charms to copy the hall decorations, considering his track record with the flamingos last year. Though Sully still stood by those being perfect for the atmosphere at the dance. At least they were pink.

“Nah nah nah, you’re not getting away that easily,” Sully accosted Aisa when she opted for just snacking on the sidelines. “We should all dance, lead the way, Newt!” He said, glad Newt was on the same page, moving to grab the two girls’ hands to try and pull them out to the dance floor, following after Michael.