The Castle and Grounds

"Sore with you?" Nicolas chuckled. "She might be... I mean you did duel Vaight after teasing her... not exactly the best thing... though," Nicolas said an idea striking. "You can blame that all on me. Tell her it was all my idea... even though it was all yours." Nicolas grinned at the lie.

At the prospect of the do's and don'ts Nicolas thought it over. "No... I don't think so."

"You know, I think you should ask her to the Yule Ball." There was a very satistified gleam in his eyes, his plan of breaking Diana and Vaight up would work for sure.

"Vot are you talking about?" Boris asked, faux innocence inflected into both speech and countenance. "I thought Vaight had finally learned some manners and vos going to show this foreigner around the village. I vos not expecting to duel in the streets..." Once this statement was out of his system he gave Nicolas a look that clearly indicated he was joking. However, Boris nodded at Nick's recommendation.

"I vill do that then..." Boris practically beamed. He knew full well what that look in Nick's eyes meant. "But vot if Vaight has already asked her?" He decided it would be best to hide the greater part of the mischief that had surfaced in his eyes. After all, getting to Vaight could indirectly hurt Diana... and he'd just promised Nick he'd be on his "best behavior," albeit not in those exact words.


((We should so do a thread w/ Boris and Diana at some point, lol. I can just see her reaction to his semi-change in personality... xD))

"Hmm... that would pose a problem..." Nicolas said rubbing his chin. "Though, if I know Vaight, he'd probably be confident that Diana would go with him that he wouldn't think to ask her formally."

"I think, Amigo, you'd just have to ask her before he does." Nicolas said smiling. He was 100% confident that Boris could best Darien Vaight, even in matters like these.

((lol... alright... Where to?))

Boris had to laugh in response to Nick's hypothesis. If he was right - and Boris had a pretty high opinion of his best friend's ability in predictions - then asking Diana to the Ball would be the easy part. Becoming acquainted with her good side... that would probably take a little bit of work after that undoubtedly negative first impression. But Boris opted to let fate decide whether it wanted to work for or against him.

"A challenge then," Boris remarked, with a very brief raise in his left eyebrow. It wasn't a question, that much could be determined by the smirk upon his face.


((Good question. Owlery? Or maybe the edge of/near the lake? Diana could push Boris in if she gets mad at him, lol... j/k))

"A challenge indeed." Nicolas smirked back folding his arms. Diana could be as stubborn as he was when she wanted to. "A tip: give her a peace offering."

Boris's eyebrows raised at this tip. "Peace offering?" he repeated, curious as to this new piece of news. "Very vell. Vot vould I have, or be able to acqvire, to appease her? Candy - flowers - perfume - ... a bottle of Great-Uncle Zakhar's prize-vinning vodka?" he inquired in an attempt to gather ideas. The last one was a joke, and marked as such by a hearty laugh. Hopefully Nicolas's time away from Durmstrang did not cause him to forget the Russian lad's varied (and sometimes strange) sense of humor.

"I hope you know that last vone vos entirely a joke... Headmaster Kazimir vould have had me skinned alive if I brought that vith me," he added, just to be on the safe side.

"Hmm... perhaps I could do one with one of those myself!" Nicolas said chuckling along with Boris. "I don't know, I'll leave that up to you Amigo.

"Now," Nicolas said, his tone turning rather serious again. "You might thing me... horrid for wanting to... break my cousin's relationship. But in my defense, I'd like to say that no good can come of it. Boris," he said putting his palm on the other's shoulder, "your a much better match for her."

When Nick turned serious, so did Boris. "Ve have been friends for too long for me to judge you - I vouldn't start now," he replied earnestly. "You've told me before of the feud betveen your family and the Vaights, so you have nothing to vorry about from me. Besides, my Great-Aunt Ivanna vent through a similar process trying to split up Zakhar and his first girlfriend, according to the stories. In the end Ivanna vos a much better match than that other voman..."

"And... if you promise not to tell anyvone, my brother..." Boris began, casting a wary glance around the grounds to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He then moved so that his back was clearly blocking anything from the Durmstrang front. Silently he reached into a secret inside pocket of his robes and extracted a small phial of clear liquid, with the words 'Zakhar Vodka, 150 mL' written in Russian on the label. "I nicked these on summer vacation, if you vant this vone? Vot kind of Russian - or Conquistador, for that matter - vould I be if I didn't take a risk every now and then, eh?" A grin spread across his lips at these words.


((Boris apparently doesn't know when to stop as far as getting into trouble goes... xD))

((XD Neither does Nick.))

"Not a very good one, let me tell you that." Nicolas said touching the phial.

"Now I have another proposal," Nicolas said. "I've found the Great Hall awfully boring lately..."

((lol - that's probably why they get along so well! xD))

"Vot do you have in mind?" Boris asked, feeling another and much wider grin coming on. He sounded up for practically anything Nicolas would suggest.

"Oh you know," Nicolas said. "Havok and Chaos." At havok Nicolas gestured at Boris and pointed to himself at chaos.

"While we were in Hogsmeade, I bought one of two items that might make dinner time... a little more... explosive." Nicolas grinned.

Boris nodded knowingly. Havoc and chaos were practically their middle names... perhaps not legally, but practically was close enough. His grin stretched wider, if such a thing were possible.

"I'm sure everyvone vill be having a blast vonce your plan is put into motion. And as it just so happens, after my cousin escorted me here from the duel vith Vaight, I vent back to Hogsmeade and bought a few things that could do approximately the same thing: I'd thought perhaps the dormitory ve vill be occupying could vake up vith a bang tomorrow. But, I vould be villing to aid your cause and plan something else," Boris replied with an openly mischievous snicker.

"Vot is the nature of our mission?" he asked, waiting to hear what Nick's plan was and see if there was anything that could be added to it.

"Well..." Nicolas said. "we have to be considerate of the people eating."

As if that really mattered.

"I was planning, we put on a Fireworks display, for the night's entertainment."

"Do ve?" Boris asked in false surprise. "So that explains vy Misha got a little upset vith me that vone time..." Nicolas would know the incident he spoke of as they'd both been in on the spectacular incident.

"A vonderbar plan! Vot vould be better than a 'few' firevorks after a good meal?" The nod of his head indicated Boris was all for this.

"I don't know," Nicolas said with a sarcastic tone. "I still reckon it's what you were wearing."

"I'll tell you want could be better!" Nicolas said. "If everyone got Howlers at exactly the same time."

Boris laughed heartily at the sarcasm but didn't comment further.

Howlers? The young Kaminski's eyebrows both shot upwards with interest. "Does the Hogvarts house enough owls to do that?" Clearly Boris liked this idea as well.

"We don't need owls per se..." Nicolas said with a side smile. "We can convince the house elves to give everyone one, as a dinner treat."

"I like the vay you think! ... Ve should do an 'extra special' Howler for Vaight - he howled in my face, so I think it only fair ve both 'howl' right back in his!" Boris suggested, bursting into laughter.

"Now that's a vonderbar idea, Boris." Nicolas said laughing along borrowing Boris' word.

"What shall we put in his?"

"Bulbadox Powder? Armadillo vomit? Stinksap? Undiluted bubotuber puss? All of the above..." Boris joked, ticking each suggestion on a finger. "The possibilities are endless!"

"Unless you mean the Howler's written contents..." he added, feigning innocence and doing a remarkably poor job on purpose. "Hmm...." Boris muttered, verbally announcing that his muse was back to work after a little Cossack-style victory dance of sorts.

"Well... Stinksap's rather appealing actually... I think I've got some upstairs." Nicolas said rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Oh!," Nicolas cried. "What about some Babbing Potion? Just one whift of the stuff and he wouldn't stop Babbling until it wears off. No counter jinxes I'm afriad."

"Now, that vould be a sight! Vonder if anything 'odd' vould happen if ve mixed the two?" Boris remarked with a smirking grin. "I might have some Babbling Potion aboard the ship if you don't have any on hand?"

"Vonderbar!" Nicolas chuckled. "Now, for everyone else, shall we just make up insults for them that the Howler shall scream?"

Boris chuckled lightly at hearing the accented word coming from Nicolas a second time. "But of course. That vay Vaight vill feel extra special: who vouldn't vant a Howler that spews at you in addition to the shrieking?" he answered, laughter renewed.

"Yes..." Nicolas breathed out when he stopped laughing. "Alright, so, I shall go into the kitchens and inform the House-elves of our... entertainment plans, and you'll get the fireworks ready yes?"