[The Girls' Bathroom on the 1st Floor] Just before the ball on Cascade Hall

Holly Greer

March 23, 2008 11:52 AM

[The Girls' Bathroom on the 1st Floor] Just before the ball by Holly Greer

It had been planned well in advance. They'd met here, in the girl's bathroom on the first floor, and spend the next several hours getting ready for the ball and squealing in excitement over any thing that seemed squeal-worthy at the time. Which, given Holly's current level of excitement, might very well include the tiles on the bathroom floor.

She arrived four hours before the ball was scheduled to begin. Behind her trailed all the things she'd need for their make-over party. She had make-up of all colors and forms - eye shadow, blush, mascara, nail polish, lipstick, lip gloss, foundation, eye liner, concealer (not that she or any of her friends had acne, but it was there anyway), and some pencils that she wasn't entirely sure how to use. There was also, of course, the range of brushes and combs and picks and hair curlers and hair dryers and hair straighteners and hair spray and hair bands, head bands, barrettes, bobby pins, hair clips, and ribbons.

The bathroom came equipped with mirrors and sinks, but Holly brought a few more hand held mirrors as well so they could see the backs of their heads. She brought her jewelery box with dozens of necklaces, rings, bracelets, pins, earrings, broaches, and clips. She also had eight different kinds of shoes of varying styles and colors. She had panty hose and knee highs and regular tights and pretty ankle socks.

She also had her dress. She hadn't put it on yet but that was the one thing she wasn't going to mix and match. She'd chosen a gauzy pale pink gown that she thought looked like it was made out of clouds. It even shimmered in the light.

Before she put it on though, she had other things to do first. She began with hanging up the dress on a coat hook, and then spreading out the accessories and makeup for better each of finding and comparing what they needed. She stepped back and nodded, pleased with the variety of the selections, and that was just her stuff. The others would probably bring things as well.

Once that was all set, Holly was ready to start her own personal preparations. Like the five step facial to start out with. Her face was covered with a green walnut face mask when she checked the time and saw that the meeting time was fast approaching. Soon, Cecily, Anabel, Chelsea, and anyone else they thought was worthy would arrive.

1 Holly Greer [The Girls' Bathroom on the 1st Floor] Just before the ball 123 Holly Greer 1 5

Cecily Smythe

March 24, 2008 6:17 PM

Belles of the Ball by Cecily Smythe

About three hours before the ball was due to start, Cecily collected up her dress, accessories, and her small case of make-up, and a box of cupcakes and other assorted treats. With her arms full, Cecily made her way as elegantly as was possible to the arranged meeting place. She smiled at Holly, who had already arrived.

“Hello,” Cecily greeted her cheerfully. “I think Anabel’s coming,” she added, although she wasn’t really sure whether the other girl would actually be joining them. Following Holly’s lead, she hung her dress up on one of the robe hooks. It was her crimson satin dress, the one she’d planned on wearing for Amelia’s last birthday, but their mother had bought them matching outfits at the last minute. It was dark, like most of Cecily’s clothes – out of the two sisters, Cecily had the darker complexion and hair, and so she often wore the darker outfits. Pastels weren’t a good look for her, anyway. The gown she would be wearing that evening was simple and fitted, with thin shoulder straps and a netted skirt just past her knees. It was young enough that Cecily could still get away with being a child, but old enough that Joshua Warren was going to have the best night of his life just being seen with her.

“I have snacks,” Cecily proclaimed, putting down the cellophane decorated box on the window ledge. When she’d stepped back, Cecily noticed the vast array of products Holly had laid out. “Wow,” she said. “My parents don’t like me having cosmetics.” Cecily wasn’t even sure what some of this stuff was for. “Well anyway,” she turned back to Holly, “I need a manicure and pedicure, definitely some eye make-up, probably some lip gloss, and something marvellous doing with my hair. How about you?”

0 Cecily Smythe Belles of the Ball 122 Cecily Smythe 0 5

Holly Greer

March 24, 2008 11:35 PM

Absolutely by Holly Greer

Holly nodded in understanding when Cecily told her that Anabel was coming, then washed off the face mask while she continued talking. Using a towel (she'd brought a few hand towels as well - she'd had to use her giant suitcase to lug/levitate everything over here) to pat her face dry, Holly in turn looked over her array of make up and accessories. "My mother is an actress," she said, though she was pretty sure Cecily already knew that.

Expanding on the relevance, Holly added, "I've worn make-up to big ceremonies since I was six. When I showed her Headmaster Bulla's letter about the ball, she sent me back with just about an entire make-up department." Holly spread her hands, smiling in fond remembrance of her mother's excitement. "I think the only thing missing is the make-up artists themselves."

She smiled warmly at Cecily, "Anyway, between all of us, we can probably figure out the best colors and what looks good. I've seen no reason to doubt our taste so far. My biggest things are going to be deciding on a pair of shoes, my hair style, and I'm also going to need help with my make-up. I know the theory on how to use it, but my mother usually is the one who actually puts it on for me. I already know I'm using the pink pearl for nail polish." She picked the named bottle up from the line of nail polishes and showed it to Cecily. "It shimmers just like my dress does."

Looking at Cecily's dress thoughtfully, Holly pressed her lips together in deep concentration and then found another bottle in the line. "I think this one is about the right shade to match your dress. There's also a clear gloss if you'd prefer that."

1 Holly Greer Absolutely 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Alexis Ashwood

March 25, 2008 4:12 PM

Positively by Alexis Ashwood

Alexis couldn't be any more upset than she was the day of the ball. Somehow, her mother had found out that she had no date. And dear old Auntie decided to share that darling little Joey didn't have one either. So the two...wonderful women had decided to make their children go to the ball. Together. How much more disgusting could it get?!

Still, Alexis intended to have some fun at the ball. She was going to do all she could to give Josiah a miserable time, because she knew that he was probably going to attempt to do the same thing. Well, she wouldn't allow it. She was going to make the best of this situation, no matter what.

So when she overheard from her roomates Anabel and Cecily that a few girls were going to be getting ready for the ball together, she decided to include herself. It wasn't the best thing to do, but she did it anyway. She hadn't spoken to a single one of her roommates, so she knew she wouldn't be invited.

A few hours before the ball was scheduled to begin, Alexis made her way to the girl's bathroom. Arriving, saw Cecily and Holly inside. Alexis smiled to hide a sudden stab of anger towards Holly. She was the girl who took Raoul from her! If it weren't for her, she would have a date and wouldn't be forced to go with her stupid cousin! Reminding herself to calm down, Alexis stepped inside the bathroom with a smile.

"Hi..." she greeted them rather shyly. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything, if I did. I just thought this would be a good spot to get ready for the ball." she pushed some red hair away from her eyes and set her dress down carefully. "Is it alright if I join you? I'm Alexis Ashwood." Alexis didn't point out, however, that this was the girl's bathroom and even if they didn't want her there, she'd stay anyway.

OOC: her dress:

0 Alexis Ashwood Positively 117 Alexis Ashwood 0 5

Cecily

March 26, 2008 2:06 PM

Posolutely... by Cecily

Holly explained about how she and her mother wore lots of make-up for celebrity events. Cecily didn’t know a great deal about Muggle film stars, but from what Holly had said it sounded like they were very glamorous people. Holly held up the nail polish she’d chosen, and Cecily smiled in agreement. “Excellent choice,” she said. “Although I think I’m going to go with natural-looking nails. Do you have anything for a French manicure?” Cecily had learned the term from reading Which Witch. Scanning the row of tiny bottles, Cecily found a pale beige. “This one will do,” she said, “and I might do a top coat of the clear.”

Just then the door opened, but rather than it being Anabel who entered, as Cecily would have guessed, it was another of her roommates. “Yes, Alexis, come on in,” Cecily said, waving the girl over. “There are cupcakes and pumpkin pasties in the box over there.” Alexis was one of the quieter girls in their dormitory, or so Cecily thought, because they hadn’t spoken much. Still, she was a pureblood and had good taste and ideals, so Cecily had no qualms at all in spending time with her.

“It’s very brave of you,” Cecily said, slipping of her sandals so she could paint her toenails, “to wear pink on your dress when you’ve got red hair. I suppose the black balances it out, though?” Cecily peered around the room, looking for something suitable to use as a seat while she worked. She simply refused to sit on the bathroom floor.

0 Cecily Posolutely... 0 Cecily 0 5

Anabel McIntosh

March 27, 2008 1:52 AM

An Appearance by Anabel McIntosh

"Black balances what out?" Anabel asked, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She offered a smile to the other girls as she shifted the bag on her shoulder. "Sorry I'm a bit late but a last minute owl came from home."

She quickly noted that Holly, Alexis and Cecily were already inside and getting ready. Her eyes darted around the room in search of a place to place her bag. Noting a spot, she moved to the area and quickly hung it up before digging in one of the smaller compartments on the bottom. Shoes, makeup, hair accessories, stockings, and a small blue velvet box quickly made their way to neat little piles around her before she finally turned back to the girls. "My robes only arrived yesterday and my shoes and jewelry didn't arrive until today. They were specially made so it took ages for them to get here." Anabel thought of the baby blue dress that was still hiding inside the bag with delight.

It was hard to think that the day of the ball had finally arrived. Of course, she hadn't acquired a date as some of the girls had, but she was more than certain that she would have a good time. In fact, as her mother had informed her in her last letter, it was probably better for a girl of her age to enjoy the night without the awkwardness of a date being attached. Having a date did sound like fun though. It sounded like something someone older and more mature would have- something she definitely wanted to be. She thought of some of the older girls and how pretty some of them would look in their robes, their bodies having grown quite a bit more than hers had yet to do.

Shaking herself out of her silence, she moved to the sink to wash her face. "So, is everyone excited about tonight?"

0 Anabel McIntosh An Appearance 120 Anabel McIntosh 0 5

Holly Greer

March 27, 2008 10:00 AM

And what a lovely appearance you have by Holly Greer

Holly smiled in greeting at the girl who arrived as Cecily chose a beige nail polish. She didn't know Alexis very well at all, but Cecily seemed to have a high regard for her so Holly took her cue from that. She reiterated Cecily's welcome, "Yes, please. Join us. Feel free to use whatever make up or accessories you'd like. I brought them to share. I'm Holly Thistle." She opted not to add 'of the Hollywood Thistles' since Alexis had not offered her own family branch.

Not more than a minute after Alexis arrived, Anabel entered the girls' bathroom as well, just in time to catch the end of Cecily's assessment of Alexis' dress. Holly was distracted from answering Anabel's initial question as the new arrival continued on about her robes and jewelry, not to mention her final question.

"Excited?" Holly repeated with a laugh. "If it weren't so undignified, I'd be bouncing off the walls. I could hardly sit still all day. Let's see your dress, Anabel. That bag is just teasing us." The other three dresses were already hanging up for easy admiration. Though, Holly thought distractedly, she probably shouldn't stand too close to Cecily tonight. Cecily's deep red clashed with Holly's light pink.

1 Holly Greer And what a lovely appearance you have 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Alexis Ashwood

March 27, 2008 11:23 AM

Quite stunning,actually by Alexis Ashwood

Alexis smiled at Cecily's greeting, glad to finally be in good company. She knew that Holly wasn't a pureblood in her own standards, but she still was proper and someone Alexis could see going far in life. It would be good to try and have her as a friend. Cecily commented on her dress, and she nodded in agreement.

"I actually wasn't planning on going to the ball tonight." she replied. "So when I found out I was going, I didn't have time to get a different dress." she laughed a little. "I hope that it works. If not, I can try and find this color changing charm I heard about."

Anabel then entered with comments on her new robes and jewelry. Alexis liked Anabel. She would definitely be a good friend to have. Of course, Alexis wasn't too sure if she wanted to answer Anabel's question about excitement. She didn't want sympathy at all, but she didn't want to ignore the question.

"I'm not as excited as others." she decided to say after Holly answered. She felt that was enough of an answer. If someone wanted her to elaborate, that was fine with her. For now, she smiled in encouragement and agreement about seeing Anabel's dress before reaching in her own bag and pulling out a few lip glosses.

0 Alexis Ashwood Quite stunning,actually 117 Alexis Ashwood 0 5

Chelsea Brockert

March 28, 2008 1:11 AM

Fashionably late by Chelsea Brockert

Chelsea certainly hadn't forgotten about the gathering before the ball. It was just that she'd been looking for a particular necklace that had somehow been misplaced. At first, she'd been convinced that her former roommate had stolen it when she'd left, until Chelsea found that it had somehow fallen into one of her drawers, along with an earring she hadn't even noticed was gone, even though it was pretty expensive.

So when she got to the first floor bathroom, Chelsea noticed that she was the last one there. It wasn't really that big of a deal though. "Hello all." Chelsea told the girls as she glided into the room. She never made anything look less than graceful. She turned to the two girls she didn't know as well. "Cecily and Alexis right? I'm Chelsea Brockert, of the Colorado Brockerts." She said, even though they probably should know who she was, since they'd had class with her all year long. Besides, she was important . (Not that they weren't. They were prominent purebloods with class too. She'd never really gotten a chance to talk to them but they were two of the others she thought were even worth talking to.) "Those are lovely dresses" Chelsea added, looking over their choices.

She made her way over to the cupcakes and took one out, biting it neatly. Chelsea would never eat like a pig even if she wasn't in such good company. It was just not ladylike. She also wanted to get eating out of the way before she got on any make-up. Unfortunately, Chelsea wasn't all that practiced at eating with it on and she would hate to smear lipstick or anything. Tonight at the ball, she would probably eat salad or something. A lady never ate too much especially at fine social events. Nor did she eat anything messy or heavy.

"First order of business," Chelsea stated as she added her own accessories to the mix and hung up her own white dress with a billowing skirt, "is for me to find a decent pair of heels or have some kind of lift put on my shoes. My date is not only older but tall " She half-suspected he was part giant.

11 Chelsea Brockert Fashionably late 108 Chelsea Brockert 0 5

Cecily

March 28, 2008 5:45 PM

Fashionably everything by Cecily

At long last Anabel did arrive, and Cecily greeted her with a welcoming smile. Anabel was perhaps her best friend in the whole school – if nothing else, the two girls kept each other sane in the dormitories when the less well-bred students were driving them to distraction. “Ooh yes, let us see!” Cecily joined in the clamouring to view Anabel’s dress. It was already fun, them all being there together, and Cecily knew they would only have more fun now that Anabel had arrived. However, she wasn’t the last to do so; they were shortly joined by another girl, who introduced herself as Chelsea Brockert. Cecily had, of course, noticed Chelsea in their classes before, but had never spoken to her. “Cecily Smythe,” she returned her own greeting. “Pleased to meet you.”

Chelsea’s dress was a lovely white gown – so far the girls' dresses were equally split between dark and light hues. While she was waiting for Anabel to reveal her outfit and tip the scale one way or the other, Cecily perched her petite backside on one of Holly’s more sturdy-looking cases and set to painting her nails.

She couldn’t help Chelsea with her height issue – Cecily was probably the shortest girl in the entire school – but she did have date problems of her own. “You will save me, won’t you?” she asked the others. “I’m going with Josh Warren with a desperate hope that he’s more bearable than his sister.” Cecily grimaced at the mention of Renaye. “But if he turns out to be awful, one of you will have to come and rescue me.”

0 Cecily Fashionably everything 0 Cecily 0 5

Anabel

March 28, 2008 11:48 PM

Pretty, pretty princesses. by Anabel

Finished with her face, Anabel turned from the sink. Hearing Holly's entreaty in regards to her robes, Anabel grinned. Her robes were rather amazing, if she did say so herself. She and her mother had spent a large portion of the remainder of her Christmas holidays poring through catalogs in order to get an idea of what she would want to wear. When their minds had been made, Anabel unfortunately had to return to school and her parents had to go to on tour and the plans had been put aside for the time being. When her mother had finally returned home, Anabel had made it quite clear that one of her mother's top priorities would be to meet with their favorite designer. Of course, everything had gone according to plan and the robes had been crafted beautifully, the set somewhat resembling a Muggle ball gown. Anabel moved over to the bag that encased the creation and rubbed it lovingly. She was just about to open it when Chelsea entered.

A wide grin split Anabel's face as Chelsea joined their little party. She listened as the girls greeted one another and passed a bit of small talk about the dance and their dates. Hearing Cecily's comment in regards to Renaye, Anabel could only agree. "For your sake I hope he's better. Renaye is-" Anabel shuddered. "-awful. If he turns out to be terrible, I promise to rescue you. I don't have a date anyways. Mom wants me to wait until my debutante before I do all of that." Anabel rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Turning back to the bag, Anabel slowly unzipped it to reveal a bit of baby blue satin. It wasn't until it had been fully removed from the bag that the smallest bit of pink, in form of a bowed sash, could be seen. It was simple. It was elegant. It was mature. And, most importantly, it was Anabel. It was tea-length with a full shirred chiffon skirt. The bodice was square-lined with thin straps that fitted neatly on her shoulders. The sash, a pale pink, would fit securely at her waist, tied in a neat bow. Her shoes were made to match the sash; the satin slippers with only the slightest of heels.

With another grin, Anabel looked down at her nails. "Should I paint them pink to match the sash or just a French?"

0 Anabel Pretty, pretty princesses. 0 Anabel 0 5