Open The rest is silence

[Benji Killian]

Benji sat alone at a table near the back fo the great hall. His costume was that of Hamlet, the tragic prince of Denmark. Most of the witches and wizards who were not familiar with muggle poets and authors would not get the reference but Benji had thought he nailed the look well enough. It was a bit macabre to dress up as someone from such a tragic story but then again people had little issues with dressing up as Romeo or Juliet. There was romance in their tragic love story. Something almost beautiful. Benji liked the tale well enough but he could not relate as much to its source subject as he could the somber king.

He watched as the students of the school fluttered one way or the other, socializing as they went with friends. He had met a few interesting characters in his day to day life but being French and practically a muggleborn wizard had made it hard for him to relate with the other kids his own age. He had enjoyed his professors and he Chasseur, his pet raven, spent a good amount of free time together. Benji had been readying through whatever books he could get his hands on as the Library was massive and held a historic number of magical tomes on most subjects.

Sipping his punch he ran a single finger around the rim of the glass as he leaned his elbow against the table. Despite his golden crown a lock of black hair fell across his face. His brown eyes were distant and somewhat sad. Despite being in a room full of people, he still managed to be very much alone. He picked at that thought in his mind and mused how weird that feeling was and more importantly how it made him feel. He was not looking for pity. His life was not so sad and his isolation so extreme that he was depressed by it. But rather, he felt oddly distant from the crowd. Disconnected and unattached in the world of magic and education. He needed to find an anchor to hold him down or else he might just drift away completed.

 

[Brooke Townsend]

Brooke drifted about the hall, making a point to look like she was enjoying herself, though she was really only here for show. She was tired with all her new classes this year and while she was sure plenty of people were having fun tonight, Brooke couldn't shake the sensation she was wasting her time.

She'd spotted Rosenberg over near the fun house and had been tempted to head over there to see what she was doing, though she didn't know if she could handle her roommate if she was in one of her bad moods tonight. Instead, Brooke wandered near the punch bowl, eye catching on a younger student who seemed lost in thought. "You're making quite the tragic figure staring off into the middle distance like that. Are you in character?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of punch and smiling with polite curiosity at the boy.

 

[Benji Killian]

A small smile played across his lips. "I am broody most of the time, if anything the costume seems to accentuates that I suppose." Benji said as he leaned back in his chair and looked over at the young woman standing nearby. He had been so lost in his own memories that he did not notice her approach. He cast a casual glance at her costume and the smile seemed to widen a bit at the choice. It was the appearance of a muggle racer or at least that is how he interpreted it.

"Do you recommend the life of a thrill seeker than that of a fallen prince? Is life in the fast lane a bit brighter than that of solitude of a stone castle, mon amie?" Benji said as he quirked his smile. He slipped into French at the end as he referred to the stranger as a friend. She seemed kind enough and no one else had paid him much attention so he figured he would entertain her with polite conversation until she grew tired of him.

@Brooke Townsend

 

[Brooke Townsend]

Brooke tilted her head when the boy called himself broody, hiding a smile behind her cup as she took a sip. Maybe this boy and her sister would get along. "It is rather dramatic. Why so broody then? Not your scene?" She asked, curious what someone as young as they were might have to give them reason to speak like he was. Maybe he really was just in character and pulling Brooke's leg.

She bit her lip at his next sentence, trying to judge if he was being serious or not before she could formulate an answer. "I think... Halloween is a time for pretending to be something we're not. Or at least trying it on for a bit, right? So why not be a little thrill-seeking," she answered. Talking to this boy almost felt like a test and Brooke didn't know if she should laugh or try to one up him. It did in intrigue her though. "I'm Brooke. I don't think I recognize you from my year," Brooke said, holding out a hand in greeting.