Make You Smile

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon was excited to experience his first ever yule ball. Not only just to attend the ball and see what made the event so important to the rest of the school, but to attend alongside one of his new friends. He had overheard whispers about the ball from older students, saying how amazing it was in the same amount he had heard that people who attended the ball alone were losers. Though Nixon assumed the words about losers were in reference to other older students, the young Hufflepuff had not wanted to run the risk of seeming uncool and losing the friends he had made, so he asked his friend Frankie to join him that night. Despite he and the gryffindor being nothing more than friends, it meant Nixon wouldn't look like a loser to everyone else in the school. On top of that he knew he would have fun as Frankie was a cheerful person that was always keen to go on an adventure.

Asking the Gryffindor had truly been a smart decision and Nixon smiled wide at thoughts of what the night would hold while he walked from the Hufflepuff common room down to the great hall. Many other boys seemed to be waiting for their dates but Nixon decided to act differently, immediately heading towards one of the snack tables and browsing the food that was available, before exploring the rest of the hall and the areas surrounding it as he waited for his friend to arrive, so he would not miss out on any of the festivities.​

 

[Frankie Tillington]

Frankie bounded carelessly through the crowd of people trying to stuff themselves into the Entrance Hall, passing people far more closely than they probably liked, especially as the girls teetered along on their stick shoes and worried about where the hems of their dresses were. Frankie barely paid them any attention however, too focused on trying to soak in all the positive energy she could feel surrounding her. People were excited about this ball thing, and although she didn't quite get the whole, dress up, fancy dancing thing herself, Frankie was ready to throw herself into getting the absolute best experience of the night that she possibly could. She owed it to every cheesy stereotypical prom movie she'd ever found herself watching thus far in her life. Would there be a King and Queen, she wondered, and would the fussy popular girl throw a hissy fit over not winning? She'd feel almost cheated if it didn't.

Finally pushing herself into the Great Hall, Frankie didn't really look at the decorations - instead she found herself focusing on all the people, all dressed up in their glitzy suits and dresses. She was sure they would think she stuck out like a sore thumb, dressed as she was in the only vaguely dress-like thing she had brought with her - a denim skirt. It was slightly faded, but Frankie had already forgotten her interpretation of the dress code as she turned around in a circle, taking in the whole room. It was one of those nights where something amazing would happen, she could feel it. Best to get started, she thought with a grin. There was a purpose to her being here after all - Nixon had asked her to hang out with him throughout the night, and with something so easily in her power to grant Frankie's agreement had been instantaneous. Spotting her friend, she quickly made her way over to the boy and lightly bumped his shoulder with her fist. "I made it - did you doubt me?" She offered a grin, before moving the topic of conversation on. "So - food, dancing, exciting conversation, ours or otherwise - where are we starting?" She jokingly pointed a warning finger at Nixon, laughing. "Only say dancing if you promise none of that slow stuff. I don't want to cause anyone second-hand embarrassment watching me."

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Exploring the great hall and the festivities it had to offer that night had been an amazing way to pass time before Frankie arrived. Nixon had gone from the snack table, to the drinks table, and then to around the dance floor and later the entrance hall where students crowded together trying to get in. His exploration and rumbling tummy eventually lead him back to the snack table where he was in the process of stuffing his face with a handful of chocolate fudge as someone's fist lightly nudged his shoulder and a familiar voice cause him to stop chewing. He turned around to see Frankie and smiled, uncaring of the pieces of fudge wedged between his teeth. He chewed his mouthful and swallowed, running his tongue over his teeth before answering her question. "No doubts at all! I'm thinking not dancing, but eating, and pretending like we're talking but we're actually listening to everyone else!" He said, a little too loudly than he should have considering the person next to him grumbling about first years before leaving the table. It seemed not everyone wanted to be eavesdropped on. It was just unfortunate that listening in on conversations was one of the best ways to learn about the school, especially when many of the professors were too intimidating to speak to and so many things happened behind their backs that he could only learn from other students.​

 

[Jocelynn Moors]

Jocelynn managed to spot her friends Nixon and Frankie at a table not to far from where she was hanging out with Liam. She told him she'd be back after a minute and left the boy to gaze at all the girls in the room while she said hello to her friends. "Listening to other people's conversations isn't really cool Nixon," she said as she came up from behind the boy. Although she would have to admit that she had just done that very same thing to him when coming up to the two. "How are you guys doing? Enjoying the ball? Everything is so exciting, I didn't think the room could look so amazing!" She said looking up at the decorations as she had when she first entered the hall with her date. Looking over her shoulder she was glad that it didn't seem like Liam minded to much about her leaving him and turned back towards her friends. Jocelynn was a friendly person and greeted both with a hug happy to see her friends looking well after their long first semester of school. The classes were not as exciting at times as she had imagined them being but she did enjoy the year so far and was looking forward to seeing how the next semester would turn out. "I love your outfit Frankie. I think it's very you! What about me?" She asked doing a little twirl. While she would normally opt for a denim jacket Jocelynn had worn her only faux-leather jacket instead as she thought it might look funny if she wore denim and Liam had worn a dark suit like outfit, she had been right in her planning and thought they both looked nice as a pair. Jocelynn was feeling more and more upbeat the longer she stayed in the Great Hall, everything was very exciting and she was sure to sleep very well that night after all the excitement of it all.
​

 

[Frankie Tillington]

Frankie made a little air-punching motion with her fist at Nixon's suggestion. "I am so glad you vetoed the dancing. Seriously, I'm bad." Digging her hands into the back pockets of her skirt, Frankie began perusing the other students surrounding them with a speculative eye, trying to figure out which of them might be holding the most interesting conversation. It was while she was doing this that one of her other friends approached, and Frankie grinned in welcome. "No, but it's fun though," she replied with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, accepting the other girl's hug readily. "Well, I just got here but, how's the ball, Nixon?" She grinned at him over Jocelynn's shoulder. The fudge he'd had in his teeth earlier hadn't escaped her notice, so she thought maybe her friend would only be able to successfully report on the state of the snack table. Jocelynn's comment about her clothes was also kind of funny, considering Frankie really hadn't put any time or energy into them beyond looking at least a tenth acceptable for such a supposedly-fancy event - she still might have even fallen short of that. "You look great," she said truthfully. Jocelynn's jacket was really something.

Taking a moment to look around at the surrounding students again, Frankie noticed some people that might be worth eavesdropping on. "Okay," she said, snapping her eyes back to the other two. "The dudes at my three o'clock look like they're having a good time. Here, come this way more." Pulling lightly at the side of Nixon's shirt while pushing slightly at Jocelynn, Frankie shuffled them all sideways, edging herself closer to listen to the students in question while attempting to look like she was really just interested in snagging a pumpkin pasty - she felt that grabbing three and immediately stuffing one into her mouth really sold the look. Making sure to tilt her ear in the older student's direction, Frankie held out each of the pasties towards her friends, jiggling her hands slightly to indicate that they both should take them. "So," she began, trying to talk quietly enough that she would still be able to listen. It took a bit of effort, considering it wasn't something she had a lot of experience with. "How's it been in Hufflepuff, Nixon? Found any more ancient languages without me?"

 

[Alexis Kramer]

Alexis remembered that she would join Nixon and Frankie at the snack bar. True enough, she found them there along with Jocelynn. As she was making her way toward them, she saw them shuffling sideways which was actually funny if you see it from a distance. Stiffling a laugh, she joined them, snagging a pasty from the pile. "Hey guys. Enjoying the night so far?", she turned to Frankie."I hope you don't mind me joining you. Somebody here invited me for a snack raid.",she explained with a pointed look at Nixon. Slinging an arm around Jocelynn, she gestured at Frankie's dress. "Love the outfit, Frankie. Denim and red suits you, Gryffindor wise that is!", she complimented the girl. Alexis braided her hair to the side to keep herself cool as the party went on. Her cheeks already flushed from the excitement and dancing she did with her other friends.