June 26th, 1894 - Hogsmeade Assembly Rooms
Misses Spellcraft

If any of them were to sign up, Sutton would have been the last. She was sure Leighton would have if they'd made it in time for sign ups, but her sister had always been one for the spotlight and the chance to make a splash. Sutton was far more content to watch, which she was, from her seat near the aisle, separated from her mother and sister just across. It was fine, she was within sight and there wasn't much to do aside from enjoy the competition. She had to wonder what it was that the ladies competing would deign good enough to show off. Sutton had no idea what she would have done if competing. Charms was to be the first round and she honestly could not think of something she could do impressively enough to warrant showing off. It made her wonder if she had wasted her education at Ilvermorny? Surely there she had such a wonderful time with Zenny and their other friends that she ought not to worry too much about. It was just the pressure of being put on the spot (even though she wasn't)!

The chair next to her remained empty as the Mr. Prewett came out to announce the start of the competition. Sutton slid to the front of her seat, though she had a good view, was eager to see what it was that would be occurring next. She fanned herself gently in the June heat, though she rather thought it was not as bad as New York this time of year. She almost longed for the mountains with their cool, crisp air and abundance of lakes to jump into, but the was finding this part of Scotland not that different from her beloved Adirondacks so far. Perhaps she would convince one of the maids to take a turn about the park later this afternoon to enjoy some fresh air.

Only the first few ladies had cast, and while entertained, Sutton was waiting for something truly spectacular. It was when she felt someone at her elbow, looking to take the open seat next to her, that she gasped quietly, startled by the interruption. Nonplussed by the request, the diminutive American stood from her seat, though stooping so has not to be in the way of anyone behind her, as if her small frame could block the stage in full. Once she sat down again, she realized the person had asked her what was going on. "Charms, only a couple of ladies have gone." She whispered, leaning toward the newcomer so she could be heard without disturbing anyone.

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Open to anyone watching the Misses competition!

  

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"Anyone impressive yet? Or have I missed all the fun?" Mabel leaned in to whisper to her friend. She hadn't intended to be late but she'd had a bit of a dress mishap and had needed to quickly remedy it before she could take her seat. She certainly didn't intend to show all of Hogsmeade her petticoats.

"I still think we ought to have signed up." She sighed leaning back in her seat. But mama had said it would be too much attention on them, better they didn't try for magic but just to appear perfectly social. For once Mae listed. But she certainly didn't plan on this evening's ball being boring too.

  

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"Oh MaeBee, Sutton chuckled as she realized it was her dear friend that had joined her. How she had missed that spoke to her attention to the displays at hand. "It's been quite entertaining." Sutton had been awed by some of the chosen spells and charms so far. She was fairly easily impressed however, so her opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

"You know I could never," she whispered, leaning toward her friend conspiratorially. "You would have been wonderful however." Mabel had a commanding presence and had always done well in those sorts of classes back in Ilvermorny. Sutton had been a good student, but had never been very confident in her skills. Plus she was not nearly as outgoing and willing to put herself out there as her friends were. Fortunately they pushed her out of her comfort zone and she had some exciting experiences, but this was beyond her capabilities. She would have frozen without question.

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"You absolutely could have!" Mae scolded, sparing only a passing glance toward her friend before looking out at the stage again.

"Does Hogwarts only teach patroneses?" Mae's eyes tracked one in the shape of some malformed mutant dog that hobbled around the stage. Several other patroneses lingered, their white sculptural forms drifting across the stage as if they were as much at a loss as to what to do as their spellcasters had been. "I could at least take a color changing charm at this point." And those were among the simpler ones.

  

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Sutton had to snort a little, hidden behind her fan, at Mae's appraisal of the show. So far Sutton had been mostly impressed, save for a couple of lacking displays, but she was a bit softer than her friend in many respects. "It is a complicated spell, it would be quite the spectacle if done right." Sutton could not produce a corporeal one herself, despite her best efforts. "I have no idea what I could have even attempted to try under that pressure." She was not as confident as her friends and therefore might have crumbled under the weight of it all!

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"It would be a spectacle if only one had performed it." Mae judged, in her opinion, fairly. "This is just...." She spread her hands out before her in defeat of finding the perfect word. Of course Mae herself could only reliably conjure her own patronous half the time, but it wasn't as if that were factor in this conversation.

"I think I would cast a cheering charm on those dour judges." She nodded at the panel of judges with a soft roll of her eyes. Nobody had reason to look quite that annoyed, she felt certain.

  

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Sutton shrugged. If anyone who had tried it had succeeded, it at least would have been a different creature each time. She supposed she was more in awe of everyone's confidence than anything else; she certainly couldn't have done it.

Despite the sarcasm in Mae's suggestion, she chuckled. "I think that would be cheating." They probably weren't supposed to cast anything on the judges, that could be a problem! "They're probably just trying to take it seriously, Mae." She chastised lightly. "I think I might have tried to conjure something, but I don't know what exactly." Maybe a good summoning charm would have worked? She didn't have to put too much thought into it because she wouldn't every try something like that.

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Mae sighed, but a smile lingered on her lips. "You are likely right. Seriousness is the death of fun. I think it should be terribly dull to compete." Mae shook her head but held no ill will toward her friend. Sutton always had been the more thoughtful and empathetic of the two of them. "I shall content myself to watch with awe in mind instead of fun." She assured her friend, reaching over to gently squeeze Sutton's hand in reassurance before settling back in her chair to watch the rest of the performance with the best intentions to keep quiet and polite as Sutton was.

  

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