Out of the Fireplace, Tumble Tumble. (FoY)

[Lianna Maylorn]

22 December, 2007
Leaky Cauldron: ground floor, 7:32pm

Getting to Diagon certainly wasn't hard once one figured out how to use the Floo Network properly, though apparently she still couldn't come tumbling out Bethany's fireplace like she'd wanted to for the past year. Curses. Apparently there were still a few things about it she didn't know yet. Not that such was surprising in any way, she was only a mere third year after all. She had much to learn but at least she'd figured out how to get out of her house and go places...even if no one immediately knew she'd gone.

Yes, Lianna Maylorn of Hufflepuff was actually being rebellious. Her parents (her mother rather), had said that they would go to the festival but Lianna knew better. Meaning that she knew her mother better. All the woman's reassurance meant was that they wouldn't go and if she wanted to go she'd have to go herself since her father was so busy. Needless to say that as she tumbled out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron she made a most surprising discovery, even if it was a common one in winter--the fireplace had been lit

Oh she was on quite the negative roll. Her parents didn't know she was there, and now she was slightly singed. Cute. Oh well, singed and slightly soot covered or not she wanted to see this thing before she had to leave. She knew she'd be grounded through the remainder of her break for this, she might as well make the most of it right? The lass of thirteen regained her footing and shook her head a bit on her way to the door only to have it open and narrowly miss clipping her pretty little head. No, luck certainly wasn't on her side tonight--maybe her punishment had begun early...

Her green eyes could do nothing more than blink at the person in the doorway as the shock of both the door and the sudden chill of the winter air took forever to release her from it's grip. Perhaps this had all been a bad idea after all. The lass instinctively pulled her winter cloak tighter around her as she tilted her head at the person before her. She knew them, and here she looked a wreck...wonderful. Could the night possibly get worse?.

(Open, take it she knows you. Otherwise, join after a few posts?)

[Drew Thornton]

Drew had spent most of the day at the festival, looking things over, checking things out, hoping to stake out some good places to go and things to do when he brought Felicity in a few of days. He was well aware that she would be there the next evening, with another boy no less (he grumbled to himself at the thought), which only meant that he really needed to be prepared.

The most decorative store fronts, the most twinkley lights, the most interesting booths, the most creative performances had all been sought out and Drew figured he had a good game plan. He was no longer under the demands of the curfew restriction, but really saw no reason to stick around any longer... not without anyone to share it with at least. He was heading back to the Leaky Cauldron and nearly tripped over the smudged form in the doorway.

"Miss Maylorn... fancy meeting you here," he said, grinning down at her, noticing she still had soot on her nose from the floo.

[Lianna Maylorn]

Get any worse, why of course it could, what a preposterous notion for her to even begin to think otherewise. It wasn't long after her eyes registered the face that would probably always tower above her that his voice drifted into her ears. Oh yes, she knew the giant Ravenclaw and it was because of this fact that she knew her night had just gotten worse. She was no good at lying and they both knew it. Plus even if she hypothetically did manage to lie to him and hypothetically got away with it, it would only set her up for worse trouble down the line once they came off of break. Oh this left the thirteen year old lass with quite the conundrum indeed, quite the concundrum with very few options at her disposal.

Her green eyes wavered a moment, peering past him and onto the beautifully lit street. She'd been right, the festival did look like one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen, and certainly one of the more fun ones. But before she could get to that, she still had to find away out of this, what was it he'd said...?

"Miss Maylorn... fancy meeting you here."

Oh, right. Meeting her here...at least the question hadn't been about where her parents were--though that one was soon to come no doubt. The Hufflepuff smiled as cheerily as she could muster with her weighted mind, left hand attempting to dust off a portion of her cloak. "How's that? I thought everything fancy was behind you." Lianna claimed nodding her head toward the still open doorway as she again shivered for the briefest of half-seconds. "The Holidays are my favorite time of year, everything just looks...pretty." The Huffle added with obvious contentment. She still had another few seconds before she was caught, she might as well enjoy them no?

[Drew Thornton]

"Cheeky!" Drew teased with a wide grin, using the word his grandmother favored when refering to him. He noticed the longing look on her face and turned to look over his shoulder at the lit up streets. He smiled softly to himself thinking how perfect it would be when he came with a certain Gryffindor and he nodded in agreement.

"You here with your mom and dad?" he asked, turning back to her. The thing about going to a boarding school waas you hardly ever met anyone's parents. Drew wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

[Lianna Maylorn]

Cheeky, Lianna Maylorn? Psh! That would never hold up in any wizarding or muggle court proceding. Of course it also wasn't a charge so cheek really wasn't anything she had to fear, even though she really didn't see how talking about the festival behind the tall boy was cheek in any form. Oh well, he could call it what he wanted, she was calling it polite conversation.

"You here with your mom and dad?"

And there it was. Busted. Oh well, the worst he could do was find some way to take her home and turn her in though she was certainly hoping for a best case scenario outcome. "Um...well..." She could trust Drew, right? Even if he did report her out of obligation once the got off break, would Ticloon really expel her? Actually,c ome to think of it she couldn't recall ever seeing Ticloon past their first year much at all. Brief glimpses but nothing substantial, and she certainly couldn't recall any expulsions--for anything.

"Not...exactly?" The Hufflepuff replied as the slightest of sorrowful looks took hold of her face. Anyone who knew her knew that Lianna Maylorn simply couldn't lie, whether her life depended on it or not it just didn't happen. Ever. "Umm...could you close the door...or...can we go outside or something? I'm freezing standing here..."

[Drew Thornton]

Drew stepped through and closed the door to keep the cold air out as well as keep the little Huffle in. "Not exactly? Come on Li... that's so not cool," he scolded, thinking her parents must be having a fit at this point. She was only thirteen after all and Merlin only knew what was out there. How did she expcet to go up against it all?

"You know what's going on in the world nowadays, don't you?" he continued. "What are you thinking going out alone?"

[Lianna Maylorn]

Not cool, well she knew that one but her determination to enjoy herself over break seemed to have overridden all logical forms of her common sense. She'd left a note...though, whether her parents would find it wasn't really up to her at all. "..." The girl's mouth opened as though to speak but following the 6th year's valid listings of points and concerns she realized that nothing she said would justifiy her actions at all. If she couldn't justify them here she was certainly doomed at home, but she'd already kind of expected that... Yeah, "doomed" about covered it.

"I...I guess I just wanted to be here....and enjoy it...." The Hufflepuff simply trailed off into nothing and gave up. There was no point in trying to answer his question she was already condemned by simply being here on her own and no amount of explanation could save her from that condemnation no matter how hard she tried.

There wasn't much left for this lass-captain to do except go down with the ship she sailed.

[Drew Thornton]

"That's all good and well, but you really can't go around by yourself. That's just not... safe, you know that, right?" Drew asked her. Deva could be anywhere and probably were, lurking on streets, just waiting to ruin a perfectly good time like this. Even if she had come with a bunch of friends, that would have been better than coming alone.

"You can come another day when you have someone to hang out with, okay?" he told her, almost pleading as he tried to guide her back to the Floo.

[Lianna Maylorn]

Psh. He was treating her like she was five. Yes; she always would consider Drew like an older brother but this was definitely taking it just a we bit far. She knew right from wrong and certainly wasn't stupid in any sense. She would admit that it hadn't been one of her smartest decisions to come alone but once she got out among the festival she wouldn't be alone. People were everywhere and while yes some people were dangerous, most of the wizarding world seemed alright--besides, it was the Holidays. Everyone was nicer around the Holidays, in that she was of firm belief. But before she could join her safety net out there in the Alley, she had to get out of the Leaky Cauldron. And that would take more words and negotiation.

"But I'm already here...and if I go home I won't come back here! It was dumb but....I can't just go home and expect mum to still bring me! I know it won't happen...just like it wouldn'tve happened in the first place." So she was stubborn, everyone knew that she could be if she wanted to. In fact it was the one thing people could actually blame Abigail Bennett for, breaking her shell of timidity and shyness. And of course if she had come with Abi--since this would more than likely have been her idea before Lianna's Drew would still throw a fit even though she wouldn't be alone. It wasn't that she came alone, it was because she'd came without an adult. And what about him? Where was his adult? Exactly.

As the boy had spoken and kept moving forward, she'd been moving backward to compensate, but now she stopped. She wasn't going home, if she did she wasn't coming back here and the festival would pass on without her. She wasn't willing to let that happen. Well, at least she wasn't going to let it happen willingly.

[Drew Thornton]

Not come back? Well who in their right mind would deny a kid the opportunity to go to the Festival? Of course, Drew was pretty sure that most parents, faced with a child who snuck out and went without permission, would probably be the very last to allow said child access. Faced with that enevitability, Drwe wasn't sure he could be the one to bust Lianna for sneaking out.

But he still needed to make sure.

"How do you know? Did you even try asking?" he questioned, knowing that very few kids asked. He knew he rarely did. If you ask, then there's a good chance the answer would be no.

[Lianna Maylorn]

Had she tried asking? Well she wouldn't right be there if she hadn't, the only twist was that Lianna had actually gotten the answer she had wanted to hear. She just didn't believe it in the slightest. "Mum said we would go since dad was busy and all...but...I know my mum. She doesn't like me being a witch she just tolerates it. My dad won't use magic to do anything at home because of her--I just knew she wouldn't take me. She's a muggle, and magic is something that I know more than her about and I think that it just bugs her." She paused. "I just...I know my mum...."

Alright so most of it was assumption and she had the present attiude of someone fighting a losing battle. But her mother was a muggle and she could do nothing more than tolerate. For her to try to understand magic would be like Lianna trying to understand quantum nuclear physics. It simply wouldn't happen in her lifetime. It was quite clear the girl wanted to stay and she would say pretty much anything to be able to obtain it. Regardless of what she'd done to get where she was presently, going home would only effectively kill any chance of coming back. There was simply no way she was going to get this close the Festival of Yule only to be sent home and be stuck with what-ifs and wonderment. She could see the lights for Merlin's sake!

[Drew Thornton]

Well that just sounded kind of sad... and actually pretty believable. If mom was really just tolerating the whole magic thing, it would be very unlikely that Lianna would get another chance to come, especially now after sneaking out.

Drew shook his head and gave a short huff, "I can't believe what I'm thinking..." he murmured to himself. He'd get in even more trouble than she would if it got out that he, a legal wizard, let her, an underaged witch, through to the Festival despite her mother's disapproval.

[Lianna Maylorn]

Lianna could do nothing more than blink in silence as the elder boy muttered something to himself. Yes they were close enough to speak but her ears weren't exactly prepared to be trying to comprehend something in that low or quick of a voice. Needless to say that since she hadn't heard what he'd said Lianna was still under the presumption she wasn't going anywhere. So, she didn't move, however she was curious since she was ninety-five percent certain whatever he'd muttered had somehow pertained to Lianna herself.

Lianna's green eyes scanned the tavern, Holidays or not this was probably one of the last places she would ever wish to be in for a prolonged period. Drunks, alcohol and...Merlin knew what the other smells were but they certainly weren't all too appetizing either. “Hmm?” The third year questioned as her head tilted to the left in a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment. Hindsight was kicking in now and screaming that this was all stupid. Maybe if she went home now, they wouldn’t punish her for realizing her mistake? It was gambling on alot, but she also really really wanted to see the festival! Hindsight was a bunch of crap that did no real good and only ruined your mood.

[arianna]

"Well, don't stand there in the doorway," a voice rang out over the murmurs and clinking of glasses familiar within the tavern. It was a quite a familiar voice to both, though it was likely neither had heard it sound as it did today. Joyful and very much full of cheer, the person to whom it belonged was clearly very happy today, though maybe with a little bit of help.

It had only been a short while ago that Arianna's parents had left for home. Before that, a little celebration had been in order. Her birthday was coming in eight days and she would be an adult not only in the wizarding world, but also in that of the Muggle's. Since her parents would not be around for her birthday, they had given her an early present: a nice orange kimono imprinted with fiery red flowers. Of course Arianna had to put on right away and wore it even now. She had even put her hair up in a bun and looked much like a geisha without the white makeup.

The nicest surprise, though, had been the Christmas gift they had given Nic and, with Arianna's assistance, had cooked a nice dinner of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. They had begun to worry that Nic was growing tired of the mainly rice and sushi meals and opted for something different. Something he might be able to stomach better than seaweed and vinegared rice.

And, of course, there had been the sake. It was always around for special occasions and it was only then that Arianna ever drank. She had, perhaps, had a bit too much today and couldn't help being a bit loud and boisterous. But there were festivities to attend and so, with a full stomach and a slight buzzing in her head, Arianna made her way into the Leaky Cauldron only to find someone blocking the way to the Yule Festival.

"Maybe move to the side so we can get through," she went on, making a sweeping gesture with her hand as though this would get the two out of their way. Well, if it came to it, there was always her wand. She hadn't had quite THAT much to drink, though, to try the wand method.

[Nicolae Torque]

Nic came up behind Ari and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He was happy as well and anyone could tell from that huge kool-aid smile on his face. Nic was wearing a dress. Well not a dress, but a dark green kimono that looked good on him. Even if his fly green and black sneakers didn't look quite right at least they matched. Yeah it was sappy wearing the same thing as your girlfriend, but her parents and siblings were pleased and the kimono was rather airy. At least his looked like a man's sytle than Ari's girly one with the bow in the back.

"Ari, ma, calm down they'll ..." Nic looked up and shook his head. He had grown a whole 2 inches and he still wasn't as tall as Drew. "Man, ya eva gonna stop growin?" Nic lifted his head a notch in greetin before he noticed Lianna. The only reason he knew her was from Krissy and Seanna. He hadn't really spoken to her, but now was a great time for new things. "What's sup Lianna, right?" Nic gasped in fake horror. "YOU'RE DREW'S DATE?" Nic gave Drew a thumb's up. If his man was dating someone a ''little'' bit younger he wasn't going to get into his man's business.