[Quidditch Ball] baby, could you blow my heart up? {open!}

It was official – she had the best job ever.

Emma had loved Quidditch ever since she was a little girl, and while she had unfortunately not been talented enough to pursue it professionally, her job helped to fill that void. Since she was the Junior Assistant to the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, the Ministry had funded her appearance at the Quidditch Ball in Provence, France, on this beautiful August evening. Emma was ecstatic – she had nearly fallen out of her chair when she was given the news – and immediately began planning. After much deliberation (and consulting with her mum), the twenty-year-old settled on a long black dress. It was simple and modest with its long sleeves, yet elegant and tasteful with its open back, lace detail, and side-slit. In lieu of any other jewelry (aside from a simple silver ring), the brunette opted for a pair of silver chandelier-style earrings.

Emma could hardly contain her excitement as she arrived on the premises; unsure where exactly to go, she slipped in with the crowd of fans and reporters, using her Ministry badge to sidle her way to the very front for an excellent view of the arrivals. One by one the players, coaches, and managers made their appearances, waving to the crowd and even taking the time to sign a few autographs before disappearing inside. Emma had committed to memory the entire starting rosters of the UK teams as well as the captains and key players of the other leagues, and her ears pricked as she heard cries of ‘Wolanski!’ from the crowd before the captain of the Zhytomyr Ironbellies had fully emerged from her… car? That was an interesting mode of arrival indeed, for a witch.
Regardless of how many times she told herself she wouldn’t be, the Slytherin alumna quickly found that she was completely and utterly star-struck. Watching these incredibly talented individuals during a match in their “natural environment” was one thing, but being so close to them off the pitch was almost overwhelming. She wasn’t sure she would ever get over the feeling even if she stayed in the industry for the rest of her life.

Her trance was broken by a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see what was going on.

[[ Someone please punch me if I’m wrong in assuming Emma would be allowed to go inside because she works in Magical Games and Sports (and would thus be involved to some degree with coordinating and organizing these sorts of events), but I wanted to sneak a post in before August playtime ended. Happy to change anything as the admins see fit, and again I apologize if this causes any trouble! ]]

Cloé hardly needed a reason to get all dressed up and attend a ball, but the fact that poor Roxy had practically begged her to help the rough and tumble beater get ready for the fancy shindig. Never one to turn down the opportunity to play dress up with her co-captain and surrogate big sister, the petite Italian jumped at the opportunity. Besides, as the unofficial first line of defense against any press-related disasters, she had a vested interest in making sure the boyish beater didn't show up to this very formal event in torn jeans and a Weird Sisters concert shirt. She had arrived at Roxy's place early, armed with a bag full of various jars of make-up, potions, and a few muggle hair products.

Cloé went to work on her senior team member, since it takes a lot of work to make it look like you haven't done any work on yourself at all. She kept it simple and light, knowing she would be catching quite a bit of flack (and more than a few bludgers next practice) if she dolled her co-captain up beyond all recognition. Roxy's eyes were the only part of her that got the full Cloé treatment. Roxy's dress, bracelet, and earrings were a joint effort between the two quidditch gals.

For Cloé's own look, she also kept it simple, in a drapey black dress with a minimalist earrings and bangles. She was a little more dramatic with her own eye make-up, letting the brown and gold tones pick up the colors in her eyes. She was an expert at this kind of thing, so felt no anxiety or nervousness as they headed out to join the others at the ball.

When they arrived, Cloé immediately began looking for some fun. These events were always more entertaining when she picked up a brand new friend each time. As luck would have it, fun came to her in the form of adorable-looking girl dressed up for the occasion. Cloé guessed her to be in her early twenties and she was clearly star-struck. "Oh, Roxy! Look at that one, she's so cute! I'm going to keep her for the night!" Dragging her friend and teammate along, Cloé tapped her new best friend on her shoulder. When the other girl turned, Cloé flashed a smile full of the Cardozo charm she and her brother were famous for. "What's a beautiful young lady like yourself doing all alone? Care to join us?" She wondered how long it would take the girl to recover from the shock of seeing two famous players up close. "I find that these balls can get awfully lonely without an entourage."

Go to a party? Sure Roxanna was always down for that. Get dolled up and put on a dress? Not so much. Luckily she had Cloe to help her out with that and Roxy was thankful for her friend. After the whole transition of the team things had changed a bit and that meant Roxy had to change a little to keep floating. She was happy with the way things were but time had shown her this could be good too. She had learned to love the new team members and that made team work and cohesion on the pitch ten times easier. They got along for the most part and it made practices fun but she also liked to hang out with them outside of matches too. Which was why when she'd received her in vitiation to this event she knew she had to get Cloe to go with her. It was nice to have female friends too especially since Roxy was so used to being one of the guys. Getting all dressed up wasn't exactly something she was great at so Cloe's help was much needed. After getting ready the two took the trip to the pitch where the event was and almost immediately Rox found herself trailing after the wildfire of a chaser.

She spun around as she tried to keep up in the heels Cloe had picked for her, picking up a glass of some kind of liquid just before turning back toward her team mate. She prayed it was some kind of alcohol but if it wasn't she'd find the bar on the double. Roxy had no problem being in the spot light but she wasn't exactly as easy going when it came to press and fans as her Italian counterpart. She let out a low chuckle when Cloe decided to make a new friend but she didn't protest. Pushing back the entire flute of champagne before setting it down on another waiters tray she followed the tiny girl to a stop. Roxy pulled at the waistline of her dress and listened before laughing. "Its all about who you know right Clo?" She said bumping her with her shoulder and eyeing another waitress that was coming around with more drinks. She leaned in toward the new face and offered her a friendly grin. "Do you know where we can get some alcohol?"

It wasn't just a rumor that the Griffins liked to party hard and the night was only just beginning. When they weren't practicing back in Gravesend it wasn't uncommon for a few of them to get drinks. Roxanna had a hard time deciding whether she liked the Quidditch or the Drinking most but in the end it was always Quidditch. Since she could remember she ate, drank, and breathed in the sport. In the beginning it was flying that caught her attention because it was the opposite of sailing and she wanted nothing more than to be off of the damn ship she'd grown up on but it didn't take long for that love to turn toward the sport. She'd do anything to spend time on the pitch and she wasn't half bad at it. She wasn't in the game for nights like tonight, she didn't much care for the fame, but she knew better than to be ungrateful for what she'd been given.

Upon turning to face the interruption, Emma was expecting nothing more than an impatient photographer or reporter attempting to squeeze her out of the way, or perhaps a parent with an anxious child hoping to get a better look at the proceedings. The absolute last thing she had expected was two of the Gravesend Griffins’ starting roster: Cloé Cardozo and Roxanna Rathbone, she recognized immediately, even though her brain was still struggling to process that they were actually standing in front of her. Talking to her, without prompting.
She thought she might fall over.

Emma was steadfastly loyal to her poor Cannons, – despite the fact that their record had been nothing shy of dismal for as long as she could remember – but she still had a healthy admiration for the majority of the professional teams. And she knew she looked every bit the idiot as her eyes practically bugged out of her head. She had heard the petite Chaser’s question, but it felt like her brain was swimming through cold molasses as she struggled to remember how to form coherent words. A dull flush crept up her neck as she realized they were probably delighting in her shock, and she struggled to recover herself. Her boss would probably have a cow if he saw her looking like a fish out of water. She was a Ministry Official, a professional, for Merlin’s sake…

But before Emma could stop herself, her brain clicked back into gear and acted of its own accord, the Quidditch fanatic in her bubbling through.
“Are you serious? Absolutely!” she blurted out, but biting her lip hard as soon as the words had left her lips. Too late.
“I mean…” she added quickly, giving herself a mental shake. “That would be excellent, thank you.” The excitement in her tone was still present but considerably more curbed, and she had no trouble genuinely returning Cloé’s dazzling smile.

Then it was Roxanna’s turn to direct a question at her, and the twenty-year-old’s gaze flicked throughout the crowd, searching for an answer and praying that her voice wouldn’t falter.
“I’m not sure, to be honest… probably inside?” she ventured, craning her neck in attempt to see over the surrounding people. “I’ve only just gotten here so I haven’t had a chance to scout things out, unfortunately.” Emma was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable she was beginning to feel around the pair. She still couldn’t believe her eyes and ears, but there was something about how friendly and normal they were that made her feel at ease.

Belatedly remembering the Chaser’s first question, she felt compelled to introduce herself. “Oh, I’m the Junior Assistant to the Department Head, Magical Games and Sports. Emma Hennings,” she added warmly, extending a hand towards Cloé and Roxanna in turn.
“As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, I can’t quite believe my luck in meeting the two of you face-to-face so please excuse me,” she joked, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Does it ever get old for you? The reactions, I mean.” Emma flashed the pair of them another grin.

Cloé flashed Roxy a cheeky smile. "Between the two of us, we know all the best and worst people," she quipped. Turning back to the stunned woman, she explained, "The best people advance your career but the worst people are more fun." Like Roxy, Cloé was always up for a party; from these fancy balls to the more rough bars that the Gryffins frequented after practices and matches. The petite Italian was a people person in that she loved being around people. Her nights spent alone were few and far between. Even if she didn't go out looking for trouble, it was easy enough to find.

Her face lit up at the uninhibited excitement that was the other woman's response to her invitation. She shook Emma's hand, her grip firm but friendly. "Nice to meet you, Emma," Cloé said. "I don't think you need our names, but I'm Cloé and this is Roxanna." Cloé linked arms with both Emma and Roxy as she proceeded to guide them towards the building. "I do believe Miss Hennings is quite correct and we should have better luck getting hydrated once we're inside the building proper." They didn't make it very far before they were stopped in the line of Quidditch stars and big-wigs having pictures taken. The attendants were moving everyone through as quickly as possible, but it was still a bit of a wait until it was their turn.

The wait gave Cloé and the other two girls a little time to talk before they had to smile like their teeth hurt. "I never get tired of the reactions," she replied with honesty. "César is the real talent of the two of us. I'm just a good support for him. I get my kicks from seeing the faces of the crowd while we play. Hearing them shouting your name; there's nothing like it." Some fluttery yet efficient usher came forward to move Cloé and the other two women in front of the waiting cameras. "Smiles on, ladies. And Roxy, no death threats. Your heels are sharp enough that if you kick one of these fellows, they'll need a trip to St. Mungo's."

A chorus of voices rose, shouting for Cloé to look one way and for Roxanna to turn another way, and more than a few people asked who their pretty friend was. "Make sure you make us look nice in the papers, boys," she told the photographers with a cheeky smile. "Which do you think is my better side?" Cloé was the Gravesend's media darling and she could work a crowd on or off the pitch.