Open Pure Friendship

[Alice Holland]

((Open after Jessica posts with Avaria))

Even though Alice had never celebrated Christmas in winter, she had to admit there was something magical about the Great Hall like this, with the snow falling from the ceiling. She had always liked the yule ball a lot, and had looked forward to the event very much. She was a little bit sad when she thought about last year, when she had been with Phineas, but she managed to push that thought away. Now, she was here with Ava, one of her best friends. It made her very happy that at least she wasn't here on her own, and Ava was always a lot of fun to be around. Alice was wearing a black and white dress, and had styled her hair with Ava's help. She smiled at her friend and linked arms with her as they entered the great hall. She was determined to have a good time. "What do you want to do first?" She asked the blonde as she looked around eagerly. She was trying to see if she could spot any of their other friends.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava hummed, skipping along next to Alice. Who needed Boys? There were only three in her life she cared about. Wait, four. No, five. Okay, maybe it wasn't boys in general. Just the one. She shook her head and smiled brightly as Alice linked their arms. "I don't know!" She giggled. "There are snacks and drinks and dancing," She sighed happily. "What do you want to do Allie?"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake had made a plan back when he talked to Tyler, and he had been biding his time. Alice Holland was one of the prettiest and most popular girls in school, and she was going to be his girlfriend. No ifs or buts. Quidditch star, dating the Minister's daughter, it was all going to come together for Blake. All he had to do was charm the Hufflepuff, and surely that wouldn't be difficult. Blake was pretty sure everyone had heard about her humiliating breakup at the start of the year, and who better to comfort her? He had planned things out perfectly, and tonight he was going to make his move. Approaching Alice, Blake was disappointed to see another girl already talking to her, but didn't let it phase him, making his way over with a casual grin. "Hey, you guys enjoying the dance?" He asked, eyes lingering on Alice's for a long moment.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice had hoped Ava would make the decision for her, but it seemed like her friend was as torn on what to do next as she was. Alice giggled too, looking around the hall for a moment. "Maybe... some drinks and snacks? Then dancing." She said, squeezing her arm slightly. "I wonder if we'll run into any friends. Is Vader going with Isabelle?" Alice looked around to see if she could spot their friend, but instead noticed a boy approaching them. Alice recognized him from the Slytherin Quidditch team, but didn't think he'd looked this cute last year. She had been sure he was going to pass them to talk to someone else nearby, someone he knew, but instead he stopped when he had approached them and looked directly at her. Alice hoped she wasn't blushing as she smiled brightly at him, wondering if it was strange to think a younger boy cute. Surely not, it was only a year. "Oh. Hi! Yes, you?" She said, glancing between him and Ava. "Should we introduce ourselves? I'm Alice."

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava giggled. "That sounds great!" She slowed in her skipping as Alice asked about Vader, her smile faltering a bit. "Yes," She answered, a bit of hesitance in her voice. Something about that entire relationship still seemed a little... off to Ava. She just couldn't figure out why. Before they could continue down that particular train of thought, a boy appeared. "Oh, hi!" She greeted brightly. She nodded at Alice's suggestion. "Good idea. I'm Avaria!" She introduced herself to the boy. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't place his face.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake's charming grin only widened when the girls introduced themselves to him. He wasn't the most familiar with people in different houses and years to him, but he kept his focus on Alice, the other girl's name sliding in and out of his mind. "Of course I know who the prettiest girl in Hufflepuff is." Blake grinned, giving Alice a small wink. "I'm Blake. You might know me from the Slytherin team." He said confidently, glancing between them. "Such a shame to see such beautiful girls unaccompanied at the dance."

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice's eyes widened at the boy's words, and her cheeks turned pink. It was a sweet thing to say, but she wondered if it wasn't a bit rude to say that in front of Ava. Though Ava wasn't in Hufflepuff, so he wasn't really saying anything about her... Even Phineas had never said something that nice to her, and the new experience left her a little flustered. "I think I remember seeing you on the team." She said, though she was pretty sure he'd only been on the bench. But that was okay, he was young, and being an alternate was still pretty brave in Alice's eyes. She smiled a little at his words. "Actually, we aren't unaccompanied. Nothing wrong about going with a good friend." She said, grinning at Ava before looking at Blake again. "What about you, are you unaccompanied?" She asked him, a slight smile on her face.