What Happens At The Party... (RSVP only) *KEEP*

[Kalaira Darus]

When Jarrod got up to give Kalaira a hug she threw her arms around him excitedly squeezing him tight, kissing him on the cheek. "Happy Christmas Jarrod!"

Cain threw his hands in the air. "Sorry, sorry. I don't have anything to defend myself with, I guess I'm just lazy." He grinned, but then made a friendly gesture towards Faith. "Kalaira, meet Faith. Faith, this little energy pack is actually real friendly, when you learn to understand her language."

Giggling at Cain's commentary Kalaira turned her attention to Faith as he introduced them. A big smile spread across her face as Faith stated while extending her hand, "Glad to meet you; Faith Appleby, third year Ravenclaw," she said with a grin."

As the conversation turned to the last question Kalaira had asked; the topic of Secret Santa's, she couldn't help but giggle some more. Jarrods comment of his procrastination of the ordering of his gift didn't surprise Kalaira. Into Faith's extended hand of friendship Kalaira placed her gift instead. "Jarrod, if you had so much trouble coming up with a gift idea you should have asked me! Then you wouldn't have had to spend so much money. I know this defeats the point of Secret Santa, but I'm yours Faith. I hope you like your gift. And I hope we can be friends too. With Cain leaving us at the end of this term," Kalaira made a pouty face at Cain and went to wrap her arms around his shoulders and rested her chin on his head, "I think Jarrod and I are going to need an extra pair of eyes to help watch our backs against people like Andrei. Though I think that could be a little unfair, us dragging you in as a target into his line of sights. I know it can be rough. He's shot me with a arrow spell before, so not fun. But that's what friends are for, right? Watching each others back and kicking butt when someone messes with one of us?! Hmmm...I guess that doesn't sound so appealing...but at least I'd still like for us to be friends! Happy Christmas none the less!"

Kissing Cain on the top of his head Kalaira turned her attention to the student behind the bar, "Butter Beer please and thank you."

[Hunter Broderick Yorke]

Her smirk widened at his greeting. "Mm," she agreed vaguely, then turned her face slightly towards his, cheeks brushing lightly, allowing her a better view of his expression. "But tell me anyway," she commanded him, removing one hand from his arm to slide it up the side of his face farthest away from her.

Brody grinned as she spoke, feeling the familiar tingle deep in his stomach as her subtle sultry voice reverberated in his ears. It wasn't a feeling he thought he would ever get used to. Every single time she let that attitude slip into her voice, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. She had a hold on him. He hoped she didn't know it, but was sure she did. He hadn't been as proficient at hiding it as he had hoped he'd be. He found himself, in that moment, not caring much. All he wanted was her. It was hard to withstand the temptation, but he knew the moment he let his guard down he would be vulnerable to her. It was a strange relationship they had. He had never felt so passionate about anyone in his life, yet he couldn't let himself trust her completely. He knew what Sasha was capable of, and even though their chemistry was damn near irresistible, he needed to resist for as long as possible.

She certainly wasn't making it easy for him. He felt her smooth palm against the stubble that was beginning to grow on his cheeks - two opposites coming together. It was almost too poetic to be real. His smile grew more subdued and devious as she bossed him around. He placed one hand over top of hers and interlaced their fingers. He slid the other hand around her thin waist and spun her around to face him. He held her hips with his arms and appeared to contemplate how to properly describe her.

"Well," he began, his eyes saying more than his mouth ever could. "You look just like you do in my dreams. And you look unbelievable in my dreams. Trust me. You'd be incredibly attracted to yourself." He leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers, not allowing himself to be lost in her kiss quite yet. "You look like one of those women that dates a hideous old man, and everyone thinks 'my God, why is she with him?'" he continued, his descriptions becoming more and more dramatic. "You look like a woman that gets rejected from a modeling agency because everyone is too jealous of her to let her succeed." He pulled her closer to him, smiling. "You look hot. Not quite as eloquent as my other descriptions, but I call 'em like I see 'em. And Sasha, you my dear, are a babe. Thanks for letting me be your hideous guy," he joked. He was laughing on the outside, but on the inside, all he could do was marvel in awe of her. He wished he could let himself be taken in by her, but it couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it happen. He told himself this, but in reality, his willpower was slowly fading away. Soon she would be in control of him, and he hated that there wasn't much he could do about it.

"So!" he exclaimed, letting himself back up from her, shaking off the feelings he was blocking from his mind. "What now?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kalaira. His heart stopped for a moment and his breath got caught in his throat. It was only for a second, but he was sure Sasha would notice. Still, he tried to shrug it off. "What would you like to do?" he asked, his voice cracking as he hoped Sasha wouldn't make him do anything unfortunate.

[Sasha Sharpe]

As Sasha slipped her fingertips across Brody's prickly cheeks, she could feel the muscles beneath them shift and stretch as his lips curved into a wide grin. She didn't have to turn to look to see that he was smiling like a fool - a fool who had handed away his heart willingly. She had him, hook, line, and sinker. He was completely smitten with her, no matter how many games she played with him or how often she tugged the strings of those around her.

In one swift movement, he slid his arms around her and tugged her around to face him. He pulled her quite close, which she was hardly about to argue with. He was just inviting in the trouble. His eyes followed her, murky with the spark of heat that lit them from the sight of her. It gave her a heady sense of power.

"Well, you look just like you do in my dreams. And you look unbelievable in my dreams. Trust me. You'd be incredibly attracted to yourself." She smirked at the description, and allowed him to steal a quick kiss before continuing. "You look like one of those women that dates a hideous old man, and everyone thinks 'my God, why is she with him?' You look like a woman that gets rejected from a modeling agency because everyone is too jealous of her to let her succeed." He pulled her closer to him, smiling. "You look hot. Not quite as eloquent as my other descriptions, but I call 'em like I see 'em. And Sasha, you my dear, are a babe. Thanks for letting me be your hideous guy."

For a moment, she smiled against her will, an honest, simple smile that rarely touched her features. After a mere split second, though, she quickly trained it into a more acceptable smirk. She didn't smile. More importantly, she didn't smile at Brody. That was a breach of their boundaries, and it would put her plans in danger. She pushed away the thought.

"Well," she began, mirroring Brody's opening word, "hideous guy, let it never be said that Slytherins aren't charitable towards the less fortunate." She quirked an eyebrow at him, smirk widening.

It was ironic, really. He had fought so hard to keep her from manipulating others before, especially that one Hufflepuff boy, whatever he was called, that she had tried to get to do her homework. He'd said at the time that he didn't want any boys to fall prey to her spell and end up braving her soulless trickery. And here Brody was, following her like a puppy, eager for any scrap of affection she tossed at him, the picture of what he was trying to save the Hufflepuff from. It was laughable.

But there was one major difference between Brody and the Hufflepuff: Brody knew exactly what he was getting into. He'd seen her public face at work around the Hufflepuff, when she was being sweet and charming and innocent, but what he'd gone for was her private self - the one behind the curtains, making the marionettes dance exactly how she wished, the one with the tongue as sharp as knives, the one that didn't apologize or smile or show any sign of weakness for fear of later attack. It was... well, it was something new.

That wasn't going to stop her, though.

"So!" he exclaimed, letting himself back up from her, shaking off the feelings he was blocking from his mind. "What now?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kalaira. His heart stopped for a moment and his breath got caught in his throat. It was only for a second, but he was sure Sasha would notice. Still, he tried to shrug it off. "What would you like to do?"

She didn't miss the sudden change in his expression. Over the past year, she had become very attuned to Brody's idiosyncrasies and minute looks. He covered it well, and it might have convinced anyone else, but they weren't strangers any longer. Her eyes darted over to follow his gaze, only to see none other than that bitch Kalaira. She'd dared to show her face at this party? Sasha smoldered inside, but forcibly kept her face passive and still. She wasn't going to let Kalaira mess up her plans for tonight. And if her orchestrations happened to make Kalaira upset as well as her main goal of getting at Brody... well, that was just icing on the cake. So rather than mentioning Kalaira, she pretended nothing happened. "What I'd like to do is dance. This is my last party at Hogwarts, and I'll be damned if it's going to waste."

With that, she took his hand firmly and led him out onto the dance floor. Her heels clicked on the hardwood with every step, but it was drowned out by the pervasive beat of the music that swelled out of the dance floor by way of an advanced charm. For a few minutes, she danced the more traditional foot in front of him, but when the song ended and a faster, heavier rhythm began, she shifted to press backwards against him. She left scant personal space between them, molding against his chest as she matched her movement to the pulse of the music and his heartbeat that she felt between her shoulderblades.

[Hunter Broderick Yorke]

Brody was torn between feeling incredibly uncomfortable and enjoying himself. There was certainly nothing bad about Sasha's body dancing close to his, right? Wrong. Though he wanted to like what was happening, he couldn't help but feel as if all eyes were looking at him. He was unable to slip completely out of reality. He became all too aware of the crowds of people that filled the room. Who was watching? What would they think? He felt as if his feet had swelled three sizes and that he was liable to trip over them at any moment. He silently willed his dancing abilities to rapidly improve. He wasn't exactly skilled in that area, and if every eye was going to be on him, he wanted to look good. He didn't want to look like the fool who wasn't worth the hot Slytherin he was dancing with.

As they moved together to the music, he thought about what she was trying to do. She had never before seemed like the girl who wanted to let loose in a room full of people, most of whom she considered to be unworthy of life. He suspected it had something to do with their little moment in the forest. He silently cursed himself for ever believing, even for a moment, that Sasha would let it go. Of course she wouldn't. How could she? She had him by the throat with that one. He knew as well as she did that he was vulnerable to her now. It was useless to try and deny what he felt for her. He couldn't take it back, and she wouldn't believe him even if he tried to dispute the facts.

But even with his suspicions, he couldn't make himself pull away from her for two reasons. One, it would look strange for all the by-standers to see a boyfriend pull away from a dance with his girlfriend. Two, which was, to his horror, the more dominant reason, he just couldn't bring himself to part with her when he hand an opportunity to be close to her. He was drawn to her like a magnet. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape her. She was a blackhole; a blackhole where his masculinity went to die. He was letting her take every little bit of power he still had, and he couldn't stop it.

Oh God. I'm whipped.

"Wanna get out of here?" he whispered in her ear after a few songs had passed. He longed for a setting that was more private. If he was going to let her win, he wanted to lose his dignity without a room full of people watching.

[Kalaira Darus]

Though Kalaira tried to keep her attention focused on Cain, Jarrod, and Faith her eyes kept wandering over to where Brody and Sasha were standing. A great anger welled up inside of her chest as she saw the two of them cuddling and kissing. Even fiber within her being was telling her that the image before her eyes was wrong, yet she couldn't do anything about it. Brody hated her now, didn't want anything to do with her. Not only because of the terrible spell she had cast, but also because he had verbally told her so. It broke her in half having to watch that vile creature strutting around leading Brody on her invisible leash; but once again there just wasn't anything she could do about it.

With a sigh, Kalaira firmly turned her back on the couple, not wanting to ruin the lovely time she was having with her friends. But when the music started up she spun to see where the music had come from and who was initiating the dance. She had hoped it would be Emma and one of her escorts, but, as the wind was knocked out of her once again by the mighty fist of cruelty and despair Kalaira saw the dancers were not Emma and an escort, but Sasha gyrating and pulsating all over Brody, announcing to the whole assembly of party goers how much of a total slut she truly was.

Watching in disbelief, hands on her hips Kalaira reached over to catch Cains attention with a quick swat to his arm, "This is Unbelievable! Can you believe this?! What does Brody even SEE in that vile piece of double crossing carrion?! She's just using him! Just stringing him along like a little puppet till she tires off him or gets whatever she wants out of him. Then she's going to crush him and toss him aside like a half eaten sandwich! Witch! Ha! More like Bitch! WHAT does he see in her!? I'm prettier then she is! And no where near as mean and back stabbing!"

Kalaira was so flustered and worked up by the sight before her that she actually ran out of words to say; she really didn't know what else to say for once. She noticed Brody's attempt at dancing falter a little bit as he whispered into the harpies ear. Not knowing what else to do she turned to face away from the torturous sight on the dance floor and slammed her hand down on the bar, "Barkeep!! Give me a butterbeer, or something!"

[Cain Russel]

It was pretty hard to glare at someone who stood directly behind you, Cain found. He already had a complexion for his height, but that Kalaria was actually taller than him? Not anywhere near okay. Especially not when she stood behind him, chin on his head and arms around his neck, preventing escape. Darn it. He was actually about to argue with her when she decided to place a kiss on the top of his head, but was sidetracked when she let go and turned to the bartender instead.

Turning to Jarrod, Cain was quick to whisper his question. "When on earth did she grow so tall?? You'd better not outgrow me like that." He joked, giving Jarrod a nudge with a finger to the midriff. However, he was quickly occupied by Kalaria again, as she swatted his arm rather harshly.

"This is Unbelievable! Can you believe this?! What does Brody even SEE in that vile piece of double crossing carrion?! She's just using him! Just stringing him along like a little puppet till she tires off him or gets whatever she wants out of him. Then she's going to crush him and toss him aside like a half eaten sandwich! Witch! Ha! More like Bitch! WHAT does he see in her!? I'm prettier then she is! And no where near as mean and back stabbing!"

Cain knew that his complexion darkened a bit, at her mention of Brody. He was not that fond of the jerk, especially not now that he had gone over to the wrong side. Kalaria was still obviously upset by the whole thing. "Such language, miss Darus!" He tried, but when she just slammed her hand down on the bar, he decided that perhaps joking was not the best way of handling this. "Calm down, K. It's really not our place to act. It's Brody's own decision, and if he wants to be hurt by that Slytherin, then we can't do anything about it. I know it hurts." He quietly said, wrapping an arm around her back. "But hey, you know you're better than her, and that's something. And I mean, just look at her shoes." Cain tried, wrinkling his nose slightly. He was not all that good at comforting people.

(Sorry for being so slow!)

[Faith Appleby]

Faith was shocked at Kalaira's willingness to just hand her her gift, especially after she had taken such care to avoid revealing herself to Cain. But she gladly accepted the gift all the same. It was actually somewhat of a relief to not have to worry about the receiving end anymore. Kalaira had been nothing but completely kind to her, and so Faith couldn't see how she wouldn't enjoy the gift.

"Thanks, Kalaira," she said with a smile as she accepted the gift. "If you don't mind, I think I'll wait to open it." It seemed rude to open a gift when no one else had theirs yet. "And since we're being so candid about the whole thing, I might as well give myself away too," she giggled, turning to Cain. "I swear I didn't know who you were when I came over to talk to you, so this is pure coincidence, but I'm your secret santa, Cain. But I've already taken your gift to the gift table, so you'll have to get it later--or I can go get it for you, if you want. I really do hope you like it..."

As Faith trailed off, she noticed that Kalaira's attention had been diverted towards a couple further into the room. It wasn't long before Kalaira's perky disposition had turned sour, and she began almost screaming something about "Brody" and "Sasha". There was obviously some sort of history here that must have dug deeper than anything Andrei had ever done, considering the change in attitude. Faith was stunned and really didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately Cain, at least, wasn't at a loss for words; first scolding Kalaira's foul language, then quickly turning the whole thing into a joke with a snide comment about the girl Sasha's shoes.

Faith giggled, looking at the strappy shoes with crazy high heels the girl was wearing. "Geez," Faith admonished, "I don't even know how she could walk in those things. Maybe she'll fall...or maybe we could make her fall..." Faith laughed, surprised at her own response. She meant it as a joke, of course, she would never do such a thing in real life; but she was quickly realizing that even though she'd only just met Cain, Jarrod, and Kalaira, she'd probably do almost anything to defend them.

((OOC: So sorry for taking so long to reply...life's been crazy busy, and creativity has been totally non-existent for a while.))

[Sasha Sharpe]

While it was certainly entertaining to dance with Brody in the midst of the party, it was far more entertaining for Sasha to see the reactions of everyone involved in the scheme. She could hear Brody's breath catch, inches behind her, and it thrilled her. From where she was, slithering across his skin, it was impossible to see his expression, but she was sure he looked as tortured as she'd expected.

And he wasn't the only one affected. She could see Kalaira the snot from where they were dancing. She had the perfect vantage point to see the little bitch's face freeze up, then contort in jealous rage. After a minute, she whirled around and began ranting at her friends. Sasha couldn't catch the words over the pulse of the music, but the tone was clear as day. She didn't stop the smirk that spread across her lips as she rolled her hips.

Warm breath ghosted over her ear for a moment before Brody whispered. "Wanna get out of here?"

Oh, yes. She could work with that. Let him think that he could talk her into a very long, warm night, then pat him on the head and slink off to her dorm. He was all but an inch away from tugging her around and kissing her senseless right there on the dance floor. She could feel it in the way he held her. So she tipped back her head and cast him a dazzling, dangerous smirk. "I thought you'd never ask." She let her eyes flick towards the people watching so as to make it look like she was avoiding a scene, leaving with him after a dance like that. "Go ahead. Wait for me in the hall."

[Hunter Broderick Yorke]

"I thought you'd never ask."

Brody grinned and took a step back from Sasha. He wasn't sure what she was planning, but he hoped it was something he'd enjoy. Though, knowing Sasha, it wouldn't be what he expected. Still, he let himself sink into a state of naivity, perhaps self-deception, in order to believe Sasha was no longer out to toy with his feelings. In the back of his mind, he knew he was wrong to think it; wrong to let his guard down. But Brody was not in his right mind. He was lost in Sasha's smile, her laugh, her eyes. Everything was out of his control.

"Go ahead. Wait for me in the hall."

Brody nodded, stupidly forgetting to wonder why she would request such a thing. He was too busy losing himself in thoughts of Sasha and the possibilities the night held. Should I tell her how I feel? No. He still had enough wits to know it was too early. He hadn't drawn her in just yet. He gave Sasha's hand a squeeze and winked at her before making his way to the door.

Before he left, he cast a glance around the room. His eyes locked on Kalaira and his heart sank with guilt. He knew what his relationship with Sasha, whatever it was, was doing to her. He hated himself for how much he'd hurt her. But it was too late to go back. The damage was done. Kalaira would hate him forever, and there was nothing that could be done about it, he was sure. He sighed, trying to forget. After throwing Kalaira a small smile he hoped she would notice, he turned and left the party.

[Lenore Pelletier]

Parties and Lenore didn't seem to go well together. She didn't mind going to parties, no, and she didn't mind the atmosphere either. There were things about parties that she actually enjoyed, like the people that were sloppy drunk and the fights that sometimes broke out. But she preferred to stay out of all the limelight, away from the buzz of talking, because it made her dizzy. Yes, partying made Lenore dizzy. Dancing was lame, and she could barely hold her own on the floor. How were you supposed to dance in high heeled shoes anyways? It was beyond her. She liked sitting and looking pretty while eating dainty hor d'oeuvres that would be provided by the host, who in this case, was her darling sister, Esme Pelletier.

Esme was a fool for making this party open to anyone and everyone. She was even more of a fool for expecting everyone that had said they would go to actually go to the party, let alone bring a gift. She had been coerced into going by multiple people, so she figured she might as well pop her drinking cherry while she went. She would be able to hang out with Jacob too, so that was an added bonus. Perhaps she could curb his promiscuous behavior for once? Right, that would probably never happen. But she could try, just this once, to make an impression on him that he wouldn't forget. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

She came to the party wearing a strapless black dress and red boot-heels. Her short hair was curly and her makeup was minimal. She had a red clutch in one hand and a bag in the other hand, for her secret santa, Jacob Brant. In the bag was a framed picture of the two of them, smiling. She had forgotten the circumstances when they got their picture taken, but the occasion must have been a good one because the pair of them were smiling and hugging. Lenore hated getting hugged or touched by anyone, so the fact alone that she let Jacob touch her meant that their friendship meant a little more than other friendships.

She placed the gift by the tree and walked over to the bar, getting a butterbeer that seemed to be laced with something stronger than that. She walked over to a couch and crossed her legs, surveying the area. She looked at the dance floor and saw the unfortunate sight of the Head Girl grinding her butt into another boy's body. Lenore averted her eyes quickly, she did not need to see any of that disgusting behavior. It was things like that which made her feel like dancing was not attractive. She gagged slightly before she looked at the doorway, waiting for her friend to arrive. Her mood was already changing from annoyed to bubbly. It must have been something to do with the drink.