Pleasant Introductions (Beatrice)

Tess loved dancing, that was clear enough, but if she had to pick a hobby she'd prefer eating. She swiftly moved through the large group that made up the main ballroom to reach the second staircase. Up she went towards the open double doors to the second ballroom. She wanted finger food, because while she didn't starve herself to fit into her dress, she had been eyeing the food as they were catered in.

She walked casually towards the finger food, her eyes trailing towards all the options. She didn't want to seem gluttonous, but she was eyeing the small cinnamon rolls. Picking up a small plate, she grabbed the tongs and picked two cinnamon rolls that were calling out her name since the beginning. Walking towards the end of the line, she grabbed a glass of sparkling apple cider and sat on one of the round tables. She needed to rest her feet and shut her stomach up.

While it wasn't as ideal as she thought others had it; no date, no romance, she at least had dancing and food. And that was enough of a comfort for her to be happy. Food made her happy and she didn't care enough to think about how the icing would make her regret the sweetness. It was worth it. And that was a good enough comfort. In her thoughts she was oblivious to the people around her.

Okay, so maybe coming to the Ball was a good idea after all. There was dancing, there was booze (though the American Head Girl had practically wrestled the bottle from her arms, telling her she was underage), there were incredibly beautiful people everywhere. Like, seriously beautiful. And most of them wanted to dance! Beatrice was having a really good time and had actually floo-ed home to ask if she could stay longer. Papa said yes and Maman had an emergency at work, so the witch just assumed she would say yes.

Apparently, sticking your head in the fireplace makes you feel hungry, because Beatrice's stomach started rumbling the second she was done talking to her Papa. She walked over to the food, eying everything hungrily. It all looked so delicious, but at the end, the Ravenclaw opted for the tiny triangle sandwiches that looked incredibly cute. To go along with it, she got pumpkin juice, going for the non-alcoholic option, just in case that girl - Mary - was anywhere near.

The evening was running smoothly, so of course Beatrice would crash into a chair on her way to one of those little round tables. "Ah, merde!" she cried out as the chair toppled over with loud noises and she felt sharp pain in her leg. "Crétin complet! Baise, ça fait mal... Incroyable, Bea, bien fait, vraiment." she spat out at herself in rapid French while cradling her leg and awkwardly hopping on the other, trying not to fall down. A series of french curses followed, muttered under her breath. Her sandwiches were all splattered on the floor, the plate was shattered and she was painfully aware of people looking at her. Sighing, she crouched down to collect the bigger pieces before anyone else got hurt. In all the commotion, Beatrice forgot that she was a witch and could've just vanished everything.

Tess took the first bite and her eyes closed immediately, a small noise coming from the back of her throat. From the perfectly glazed cinnamon roll, to the cinnamon smell, to the lightness of the bun it was heaven. It was delicious, to put it simply. And she knew she should have gotten a healthier option, some sandwiches, some salad, something that was actually food and not sweets but she had figured it was a special occasion.

As soon as she finished the first one, she was about to pick another one when a cry, a clatter, and a thump caught her attention. Looking over she saw a witch looking distraught and highly embarrassed. And while usually she would avoid such embarrassing situations, she felt bad for her and got up. Waking over, she heard the girl muttering obscenities in French and raised her brow. Bending down she looked at the girl and smiled as friendly as she could.

"Escusez moi, parlez-vous Anglais?" she asked softly.

Her mother was of French and Italian descent, so French was always in the household through the curses, critiques or any heightened emotion. And at this moment she was relieved it could help. She lightly swatted the girl's hands from the plates and slid her hand up her thigh to her wand.

Muttering the scouring charm, the sandwiches, broken china and everything was wiped from the floor and she offered the girl a hand hoping she was okay. She knew if she was in her position it would be horrified.

"Je m'appelle Tess, et vous?"

"Escusez moi, parlez-vous Anglais?"

Beatrice looked up and an incredibly pretty girl was standing there next to her. "Oui. I mean, yes. I'm sorry about all this, I was being clumsy. Of course I'd trip with a plate full of food." she shook her head, blushing. And of course someone so pretty would help her.

She watched as the girl muttered a spell and everything disappeared and shook her head again. She actually forgot she could use magic. Unbelievable. "Merci beaucoup." the witch said, heartfelt.

"Beatrice Lamarche, nice to meet you." She got on her feet, dusted her dress and smiled gratefully at the girl.

Tess looked at the flustered girl and felt pity for her. She looked so out of place, so horrified and even with the help, it seemed that it was made even worse by Tess helping. Still, she smiled trying to be polite and helped the girl, retain her footing wondering exactly what had caused all this. She waved off the Beatrice's apology, why would someone need to apologize something that was unexpected.

As she was thanked, she signaled the girl to follow her and handed her a plate, then began to help her fill up another plate of food. As she went along, she put a little bit of everything, not really know what the girl would want but she figured she could talk through the awkwardness.

"It could happen to anyone, all that matters is that you look like it didn't even happen. Denial is the best when embarrassing things happen" she smirked. "Come on, you can sit with me, and we can eat. That's the best part of this room"