Setting up for the Christmas Ball

[Wilting Rose]

Wilting Rose was having the time of her life.

There was nothing that Rose loved more than Christmas. She had noticed, as the years passed her by and her childhood seemed further and further away, that the people of today had no real concept of Christmas. They saw a holiday about money and recieving gifts. Why couldn't they all see it as Rose saw it? A day where you took time off from your usual routine to spend time and thought on people that mattered to you.

Also, it was pretty!

Rose smiled to herself as she waved her wand, enchanting the box of golden decorations to float and hang themselves on the tree. Real live fairies were chattering in their melodious hum, in the tree and within the festive garlands that decorated the length of the hall. It was like being in a glittering paradise.

Yes, to Rose at least, this was what Christmas should be about.

[Carmen]

"Ah-choo!"

Never, in all her years of living, had the blue-haired girl ever experienced a cold in the beginning of December. It was always a good time to go to the local pool, especially around January. But not now that she lived in the opposite of places, where snow covered every little bit that wasn't covered from the weather. Carmen sneezed again, muffling it with her cloak sleeve.

Stepping down into the once empty room, the girl realised that she had almost been at the school for a year and had never seen the dance hall. Her snow-covered boots dropped their coat onto the floor, tinted a muddy brown from the dirt. Looking up from the floor where she stood, the girl noticed that she wasn't the only person in the room. A lovely woman with the brightest of eyes was decorating the giant room.

Were they... faeries?

Though she shouldn't have been surprised, she was, at seeing the little flittering beings amonxed the branches. After all, she had discovered that there were beings she had never heard of in these lands. So why couldn't there be any faeries? Shaking her head, the girl spoke, her Australian accent sticking out "Sorry! I didn't realise that this place was supposed to be kept spotless!" Pulling out her wand, she performed the first spell she learnt.

"Scourgify!" And in a second, the boots and floor were glittering from clenliness.

[Wilting Rose]

Wilting Rose turned at the sound of approaching footsteps to see a Hufflepuff girl walk in to the Dance Hall and look around her in amazement.

With a slight grin, Rose turned back to her decorating. Five plastic angels were lined up in a row. She waved her wand over them, and their tiny wings started beating and they flew themselves up to the top of the five trees that were around the hall, and sat proudly looking down on the pair below.

"It's no problem," said Rose, turning back to Carmen with a smile, tucking her wand back into her lilac and silver robes. "The Dance isn't for another week yet, I'm just setting up so that when the band and the caterers come to visit, they know how things will be set up. Plus... it's pretty."

Rose laughed, her rainbow eyes twinkling cheerily. "So, is this the first time you've been in here?"

[Carmen]

Staring around now, watching the every movement of the woman, and still not clicking which particular form of authority she had under her belt, Carmen's jaw almost dropped. Plastic, immobile angels were literally flying! Magic never ceased to amaze Carmen. "Wow... You really know how to use a wand!" she exclaimed.

"Actually..." Carmen's cheeks flushed a deeper red hue, "yes. I've been here since January, and I never knew this place was here!" It was quite embarrassing to inform others she didn't know anything really of magic and the grounds of Magic Horizons. It just made her make more mental notes to explore. "How long have you been here? If... you don't mind me asking?"

[Wilting Rose]

Rose grinned to herself. How long had it been since somebody had not known who she was? It was quite a novelty, and she was going to savour this moment...

"Oh, I've been here quite a while... since the school started, actually." Rose smiled and stepped towards Carmen, holding out a hand for the girl to shake. "I'm Wilting Rose, Headmistress of Magic Horizons."

[Carmen]

Upon hearing the reply of the woman with amazing swirling eyes, Carmen's own widened as she froze to the spot. For a second she could have sworn she had something to hide. Maybe a prank? No. She hadn't gotten up to any mischeif, so why was she dumb-stricken? "I.... uh..." Carmen fumbled, pulling her hands from her pockets to her sides, like a plank of wood.

"Hi!" She finally said, one hand reaching behind her head to cratch it in embarrassment as she smiled, the other grasping Rose's hand. "I would never have pictured you to be a headmistress! I've always known heads as old and grumpy and horrible to talk to and..." Oh gods! she thought as her smile melted away, mentally kicking herself as she shook Rose's hand.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you, really."

[Lolitta]

"Old and grumpy and horrible to talk to!" A voice mimicked in a high-pitched squeak. "I didn't mean to offend you, really!" Again, but this time a melodious giggle rippled out afterwards, and a small bobble hanging from one of the Christmas trees swung wildly before slipping off a branch. A flutter of golden light sparkled behind the bobble as it fell, before smash, it shattered on the floor, and sitting half-sprawled on the floor in the bobble pieces was a tiny faerie, no bigger than a popsicle stick.

"Oops." She peeped coyly, as her crystal-blue eyes widened at the mess, then she looked up at the two, little fingers pressed in an 'uh-oh' motion over her gigglesome, pink lips. Her blonde locks were tied up in two small buns at either side of her head with pink ribbons, and she wore a rather makeshift ruffle of material around her body. It had clearly been made into a dress by the faerie herself, with buckles and straps here and there to keep it on securely.

As she crawled carefully forward away from the broken bobble, the little faerie clambered to her feet and immediately rose to balance on her tip-toes, as if it was how everyone stood. She bit her bottom lip and stiffled an automatic giggle, blinking a natural mischief in her eyes. "I be in trouble now, eeps!" She chirped, swatting a pair of shredded wings together. By the look of how tattered they were, one could wonder if she could even fly at all!

[Summer]

"Can someone give me a- argh!" the plea for help was never finished, instead a thud came from just inside the doors, followed by a muttered curse. Shoving herself up to her feet was a blonde Puffian. Smoothing down her silver robes, Summer bent down toward the large bag she'd been carrying, re-stuffing the several Teddy Bears that had fallen out. Straightening back up, she slipped her hand into a concealed pocket, pulling out her wand and waving it at the bag.

"Hello, Carmen, and hello to you as well, Headmistress Rose" she called out, smiling happily as she walked toward them, the bag obediently following in her wake. She had recognized the woman, having been in the great hall when she announced her return to power. Reaching up to the long chain hanging from her neck, she pulled off two candy canes from the many that were clipped to the chain. Handing Rose a pink one, and Carmen a blue one, her eyes fell on the faery.

"Oh! Hello there.." she greeted her, unsure if faeries liked candy canes. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled a yellow one from the chain, tapping it with her wand so it'd shrink to an appropriate size for the faery. Bending down, she held it toward Lolitta. ".. Here you go."

[Lolitta]

Lolitta jumped, spinning around to face the entrance doors as a loud thud came from that general direction. The little faerie watched as teddy bears fell out of a bag and a girl cursed, weaving some quick magic to put everything back in it's place and resume her pace toward them. As the other two would have been distracted by this entrance, Lolitta scolded herself for not having taken that opportunity to disappear, and she did this with a small smack to her own wrist.

Suddenly though, she raised her wide-eyed gaze to the newcomer and gasped a miniature gasp as a tiny, yummy-looking, yellow candy cane was held out to her. Lolitta bounced back on her toes, her eyes flicking from the girl's eyes, to the lolly, to the girl's eyes, back to the lolly, before flash! A bright whisk of gold darted forward and she plucked the candy from the girl's fingers then raced behind the Christmas tree she had been hanging off before.

Moments later she peeked around the side of it, the small candy cane sitting lopsided in her mouth and her glamorous gaze staring up at the three humans. She smiled a timid smile and blinked girly lashes at the girl who had given her the candy cane. "Ta, sweets." She trilled, before her cheeks flushed a gentle pink and she disappeared inside the Christmas tree to tip-toe along it's bushy branches.

[Wilting Rose]

Rose grinned at the Hufflepuff's obvious embarrassment, and shook her head. "Don't worry, I completely understand. Most Heads are boring and grumpy. But there's an exception to every rule, right?"

Before Rose could ask the girl her name, one of the more mischievious of the faeries accidentally knocked a bauble on to the floor, where it shattered. Rose raised a brow at the little faerie. "Well that's what you get for making fun of somebody," she said with a wry grin, and fixed the bauble with a seamless wave of her wand.

A loud thud outside the door announced the arrival of yet another Hufflepuff student. Rose smiled at her, and graciously accepted the candy cane.

"Why thankyou very much!" she said with a grin. "Are you handing these out to the whole school?"

[Shae]

A few strands of purple hair preceeded the head through the wall, a decorative pattern of ice growing between these appearances. When the face finally emerged, it's most striking feature - apart from the farme of long purple hair - were the bright green eyes, and the pale glow.

Then anyone looking would have noticed that they could still see the wall, and the icey pattern through the face. This all made perfect sense when you realised that this person was a ghost. The smile then continued to indicate that this ghost was of a friendly disposition.

The ghost worked in the Hospital Wing most of the time, taking care of people pains with her close-to half-million various potions. But at this moment, she had come to the Dance Hall for a completely different reason.

"Miss Rose, I hope you will excuse me, but I was wondering if I might provide an ice sculpture for Christmas this year? I've been practicing a lot in the quiet moments between people needing help in the Wing," she said. Her voice was slightly hollow, but also kind and the usual motherly and slightly instructive tones had been replaced by tentative ones.

The four-foot tall ghost hovered off the ground at a height that seemed more normal, and clasped her hands while she wondered if the offer had been foolish or forward.

[Wilting Rose]

Rose nodded at the ghost girl who had suddenly appeared. She knew how lonely it was to be a ghost - her old family home had been full of them and while her family had ignored them, Rose had become quite friendly with a few. She knew better than a lot of humans about the pains ghosts went through.

"Of course you may!" said Rose with a smile. "The more participation I get the better! Christmas isn't a time for spending alone... you can all help me if you want! I haven't got much left to do though. Are you all looking forward to the Dance?"

[Shae]

She smiled when the headmistress said that the ice sculpture would be welcome, all she had to do now was decide what it would be of. Perhaps something in the Christmas spirit? But it still had to be simple, after all, the sixteen-year-old ghost was only getting quite good at it, she wasn't up to a sleigh full of toys, a fat man, and a team of raindeer.

"Are you all looking forward to the Dance?"

No. To tell the truth, she wasn't. Watching people dancing, laughing, having fun together. If someone tried to take her hand, and lead her onto the floor, her touch would freeze their hand up, and there would be pools of frost beneath her - causing other dancers to slip and hurt themselves - and anyone she touched by accident would have a serious cold - to say the least - the next day.

No, she wasn't looking forward to the dance, but she was going to do her best to make sure other people had a wonderful time there, even if she couldn't. Though she would probably never say as much.

Biting her lower lip pensively, the ghost turned her thoughts to the sculpture again, and what she could create to fit into an available space.

"But what should it be of?" She wondered softly, though out loud. She really wasn't sure.

[Summer]

"Well, I'll be giving 'em to as many people as I can.." she answered, keeping her eyes on the darting faeries. At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, she turned her gaze away from the christmas tree, looking at the ghost. Eyes widening slightly, she studied the ghost, taking in the friendly smile. She'd seen many ghosts, but had always been too busy to really interact with one, maybe she'd get a chance to now.

"How 'bout christmas carollers (sp)?" she suggested, hearing Shae's question. "A group of carollers, not just humans though, a mix of creatures.. unless that'd be too big. Maybe a reindeer? Santa in his sled? Santa's helpers making toys?"

She shot off ideas at random, not really sure what a Christmas ice sculpture should be. The only ones she'd ever seen were of swans and doves, and one of a polar bear. Brows furrowed in thought, she pulled off a green candy cane, unwrapped it half way, and stuck it in her mouth.

[Xavier]

"What about a group of MH inhabitants all standing side-by-side in unity?" said a voice from the entrance to the Dance Hall. The figure, clad in an all-white outfit that unintentionally went awfully well with the decor, took a few heavy steps down the stairs and approached the group, his hood still hiding the top half of his face. Only a few locks of green hair strayed from under the hood.

"And not just wizards. Everyone. Humans, vampires, Lycans, Valkyries, Faeries...everyone. I don't mean life-size, of course. That'd be impossible. But how about it? Give a sense of hope and unity to the students this Christmas. Every creature, human and not-so-much, side by side looking out on the holiday festivities, wishing everyone a happy holiday."

It was only then that the figure removed his hood. As he did so, he kept his eyes closed as his spiked green hair bounced into place and he put the hood down gently. Then he opened his eyes. Flaming bright as the sun.

"Hello Carmen, Summer, Shae, Headmistress," he said with a small bow to each student and the ghost, then a larger one to the Headmistress. "I trust the preparations are going well? My name is Xavier," said the figure as he turned to face Wilting Rose. "I don't recall us meeting. I am a Lycan, and temporary Alpha of the Tunnel Clan. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The Lycan slowly removed his cloak and hung it over his shoulder by a finger as he turned to Shae.

"So, Shae? What do you think? You don't have to use it if you don't want, but I think it would be a good thing amongst the Christmas decorations and such. It would send the message that this season, everyone should be united, no matter what else they're like during the rest of the year. We should sit at one table, eat the same meals, enjoy the same fire's warmth."