make way (thius)

It was the usual atmosphere in the dormitory whenever the fourth year girls got prepared for one of these events: Jeneva took centre stage and did everything meticulously; vastly more concerned for herself and her bloody hair than encouraging anyone else. Bellona could tell that she wasn't the only one feeling self-conscious and in need of reassurance, although the Slytherin girls were very good at masking these sorts of worries. They hid it behind high noses and confident strides, but Bellona could tell... some of them just needed to know they looked pretty.

Jeneva and the other girls went ahead once they were all ready: heading to meet their dates or group together in a grand entrance. Bellona had been ready for quite some time, which only gave her more time to scrutinise her own appearance and worry about falling down a flight of stairs in heels. Still, she hadn't touched anything. She listened to the stupid thoughts but kept thinking over the top of them:

You're Bellona Lestrange.

She stood up. Except for the sounds of pipe gurgles and murmurs of conversation from the common room below, there was quiet. She would be meeting Melanthius soon, she thought, smoothing down her dusky blue dress with her over-elbow gloves. Was it too much? Was it too clingy? She turned around and took the rear view, sighing exasperatedly. She didn't have a slight body like Jeneva and the majority of girls of her class.

But that couldn't have been too much of a problem, she thought, putting on some dark plum lipstick with a brush. Her makeup was quite dark. Was it too dark? Sultry - that was it. She couldn't bloody well wash her face at this stage! Argh. Having gripped her bedframe tightly without realising for the past few minutes, she withdrew it suddenly after realising the entire thing had crystalised in a thick glass of ice.

Stop it. Stop it.

Taking a deep breath, she turned from the mirror and exited the dormitory quickly. Her legs were like jelly as she walked down the staircase, lifting her dress slightly so she wouldn't trip over the hem. Once inside the common room, she noticed several boys' heads looking up at once, bringing about a wave of self-doubt again. But as they turned away, she realised they were probably just on the look out for their dates coming downstairs, and were disappointed she wasn't the right girl.

Now - where was Thius in this crowd? She didn't want to be waiting for him!

@Melanthius Burke

Thius had spent quite a while trying to appear presentable and appealing to Bellona; in the past, he often tried to skip the dances as there was even more scrutiny about his behavior, his habits than at the standard pureblood ball. At least with the latter, most just acted as if it wasn't happening and made sure he couldn't hear the sly comments. But a dance at Hogwarts? He'd unintentionally become entertainment with his counting!

He had gotten ready in his dorm's bathroom once he knew the vast majority of his dormmates had left. Thius just never felt totally comfortable getting ready around them, especially now that he, for the first time ever had a date that he couldn't disappoint. His mind stirred, heart fluttered at the thought of Bellona and how gorgeous she was going to look. He kept his wand in its holster as he stepped out from the stall, now wearing his newly-tailored suit.

Approaching the mirror, he smoothed out any wrinkles on his shirt before looking at his appearance. His hair was still loose in its usual bowl-cut style. It wasn't the suavest way to have his hair... Grabbing a rubber band and his jar of Sleekeazy, Thius began to pull his hair back, making sure that a single strand wasn't out of place or sticking up. He examined his hair and began to spray spritz of his cologne until he was satisfied. It wasn't overpowering nor was it too subtle; he figured it'd be enough to last through the night. The slight hint of lavender soothed the anxieties that were embedded in him. Although he knew that Bellona wouldn't judge him if his thoughts made an untimely appearance at the formal, he couldn't help but worry about how their peers would perceive it.

He just had to be distracted. He needed to be distracted. Then, the thoughts won't come. Thius lightly tapped the top of his head as if he were trying to tame his brain.

He can do this. He can do this.

Thius felt around his trouser pockets to ensure a small jewelry box was still on him. Relieved, he let out a small sigh before grabbing a few flowers off from the top of his trunk and started heading down towards the common room. He knew how to treat a lady, he just needed to not get nervous...

He could hear the chattering become louder and louder as he descended further and further down the steps. Now he just had to wait for-

Bellona! His cheeks reddened as he rushed his way towards her, excusing himself as he maneuvered himself around his housemates. Smiling, he handed her a small assortment of flowers that consisted of white hyacinths, meadowsweets, and a mossy rosebud. Getting a good look at her, Thius opened his mouth and only a slight noise escaped. The way her dress clung against her hips and waist, how her makeup made her look utterly delectable. She was a total vamp! Merlin, she was already leaving him breathless...

"Merlin, you're bloody ravishing..."

Was that gentlemanly to say? Agh!

Thius smiled at her sheepishly as he tried to keep himself composed. "Good evening, Bellona. I do hope I haven't kept you waiting."

His suit sort of stood out compared to the other men in the room; the vest of his suit was adorned in a shiny, floral pattern that was a splash of color in his attire that was almost as dark as night.

@Bellona Lestrange

Thank Merlin she didn't have to wait at all. The fear of awkwardly standing around a room packed with boys drained away as soon as she saw him.

It was a damned misconception that heavyset people could not be graceful, or look perfectly balanced on their own two feet. They expected them to be clumsy and oafish, but Melanthius never was. He looked smart and somehow brighter, but she supposed that was due to his hair being pulled back off his face. Now she could see his features a lot more. A heat of surprise flared in her cheeks as he placed some spring flowers into her hand.

That was it. That was exactly what she'd wanted to hear. She felt a compliment like that, although more of an outburst than a sentiment, could see her through the entire night. Yes - she was ravishing. She was beautiful!

"Thank you - uhm - no, no. I'd only just got down myself..."

Her lip twitched upward as she looked at her flowers, then she looked back at him, glowing in delight.

"We both look far too good for Voclain's paper chain crafts and explosive glitter, but at least the ceiling is enchanted and they'll be some music, so let's get going. Oh - hm..." She looked at her flowers, wondering what was best to do with them for now. At least if she left them in the common room, the Slytherins could be relied upon more than leaving them in the Great Hall. "Would you know of something I could use for a vase?" she asked him.

@Melanthius Burke

"You're welcome," he responded breathlessly. Good, they had gotten there about the same time then. It was fine if he waited on her a while. It would be more of a faux pas if she had to wait on him...

She liked the flowers!!!

Thius' small smile grew into a wide grin that was almost painful to keep holding. They hadn't even gotten to the Great Hall yet! His heartbeat raced in excitement.

Act natural, act natural...

"Yes, it would be quite good to start heading to the Great Hall..."

He didn't know if he'd be able to keep his eyes off her at all tonight. She always appeared lovely, marvelous, beautiful, stunning. But tonight? She was otherworldly. Merlin, it was going to be a thrill to enjoy the night with her.

A vase? Thius glanced around until he spotted an abandoned glass on one of the tables nearby. That simply wouldn't be good enough to hold the flowers he got her. Taking out his wand, he pointed it in the direction of the glass until it transformed into a luxurious vase. For extra measure, he shot a stream of water inside of it so the flowers to stay fresh. He briefly walked away to grab the vase and held it towards Bellona so she could stick them in there. "This shall do."

@Bellona Lestrange

Watching as he performed a complicated bit of transfiguration, Bellona's eyes lit up as she placed the flowers inside the vase.

"Resourceful as always," she commented, gazing at the flowers rather smugly. She was sure not everyone would have such a sweet bouquet given to them, perhaps not even Jeneva, who was likely flouncing about the hall by now thinking every boy was going to shower her with propositions.

Returning to look at Melanthius, she stood beside him and took his arm.

"Shall we?"

After shooting a look around the room as though to say whoever touches her flowers would go blind, she was satisfied to leave with him. "I saw Alayna before she left with Ptolemy - she really is wearing black. But it isn't at all up to standards with what she usually wears, so I imagine she rushed the decision just so she could smite me. The joke's on her this time."

@Melanthius Burke

"I ensured they were the freshest blooms possible," he stated softly. After all, he didn't want them to wither so quickly. Some of the flowers he'd seen his peers purchase when he last visited Hogsmeade were pitiful.

As he watched Bellona put the flowers in the vase, his eyes wandered and explored her form, admiring just how well her dress flattered every contour of her body.

Act natural. Act natural.

Thius held out his arm out for her and nodded as they began to head to the Great Hall. "Not up to standards? I didn't realize she lost access to the family wealth that quickly..." Ha. That was certainly what Alayna deserved for always talking so horribly of Bellona. "When she sees you, she'll realize that she can't compare."

As they went up the floors, the bass coming from the Great Hall became more and more audible.

@Bellona Lestrange