Ambrose had slipped away from the group briefly to pick up drinks for them all, and if he sprouted another hand, he figured, any sweet remaining food he could grab for the girls. Had to keep them going - dancing all night if he had to. If he didn't ensure Cyhirae had a good night, he risked both Professor Trishna and Georgiana's wrath. Neither he wanted, and he was enjoying his evening with Cy, and wanted her to enjoy it too.

Spotting a younger Gryffindor face, and a family friend of sorts, Ambrose smiled warmly at Rowena Knight with her flaming red hair. He supposed the younger students might be spirited away to bed at some point if it were possible, but it was nice that they were allowed to join in. He'd heard that before it used to just be the older years at a tournament yule ball.

"Hey you," Ambrose greeted cheerfully, "Having a good night?"

Rowena was pushing a bit of loose hair from her face with one hand, while balancing a mug of Butterbeer with the other. "Yes!" she said, a little too loudly. "Everyone looks so fancy and poised. Especially Mum." It made her wish she could learn how to make such things.  When she was older she'd have to ask Cousin Darian about that.

Her own dress made her feel very grown up, with the pearls and the fur on the long sleeves and the pretty little locket she'd gotten. She pulled one of her hands up into her sleeves to pet at the fur, enjoying how soft it seemed. "And there's so much food! I can't decide what to try first." She couldn't help bouncing on her tiptoes a little as she looked over the spread. Just because she'd eaten already didn't mean that there wasn't so much more to try.

Ambrose continued to grin.

"I haven't seen your mum, I'll have to look out for her." For some reason he hadn't really thought that Rowena's mother would be there, but she worked for the Ministry, and Rowena's dad was Head of the Wizengamot. Ambrose's mum knew him really well, or, rather correction had known him well before the accident.

"My Dad's here too, but he's come with Ms Murray-Harker." Ambrose explained, "You know, the Head of International Magical Co-operation?" He looked up and down the table, "I'd say start with savoury and nothing too strong, don't want to ruin your tate buds on the onion bhajis before you've tried the prawn cocktail vol-au-vent, eh?"

Ambrose blushed a moment, over knowing so much about buffet food.
"Ha, let's just say I've been to one too many family parties..." He explained to Rowena, pointing out the items he referred to.

Rowena's mouth made a little 'o' at the mention of Mr. Pepper's date. She didn't really know about this Ms. Murray-Harker, but she wasn't Ambrose's mum and that seemed awkward. But Ambrose was already off about the food, which saved her from having to think of something to say.

"You must have nice parties!" And all the food that Ambrose pointed at looked tasty. And just a little confusing. "Ours aren't very fancy. We eat and then go play Zelda. Grandfather and Uncle Bailey usually yell at the other picture box over...something." There were usually tiny little men running around on the screen when it happened, but she hadn't figured the rest of it out yet.

She looked down. "I'm really bad at Zelda."

"Ours aren't very fancy. We eat and then go play Zelda. Grandfather and Uncle Bailey usually yell at the other picture box over...something."

Ambrose thought about the description his eyes sliding upwards as he recalled what that must be.

"I'm really bad at Zelda."

"And you reckon I'd be any better?" Ambrose grinned, "Does this Zelda thing happen on the tele- er - picture box thingy?" He asked, "Or it is like, just a game where you run round the house? Me and Tim used to do that with sticks for wands, but I think I have heard someone mention that Zel whatsit." Which reminded him of the others. Zel Trumble best not be moving in on Cyhirae in Ambrose's absence!

"Your dress is very pretty, by the way." Ambrose added slyly, remembering the golden rule that girls liked to be told they were pretty on occasions like this. Not that he wanted a kiss from Rowena Knight, but it wasn't doing him any harm complimenting. Well... perhaps he'd only compliment Winnie in front of Cyhirae, and Cyhirae three times more than her. Oh how complicated girls were.

"I don't think anyone is good at the Water Temple." Of course that had been where she'd started last time, too. The boots were confusing. "It's played on a picture box, though. I mix up the buttons sometimes."  At least they were brightly colored  buttons! If it would have worked at home she would have asked for one, but it wouldn't.

"And we did that with sticks, too! Though we didn't run." She took a bit of one of the strangely-named things that Ambrose had pointed out. It was tasty.

It was also spilling crumbs, which she tried-successfully-to keep off her dress. Though the compliment made her blush. "Oh, thanks! You look very nice too. You and Cyhirae look good together." It wasn't Ambrose's fault that his date had turned Sophia down. Not that she was going to tell him about that. Maybe ask Mum. Maybe.

Ambrose smiled awkwardly.

"Do we? Aw... thanks." He looked down at the table and snatched up something, equally hungry. Being nice to girls all night was really quite tiring.

"Cyhirae's the pretty one, I just try to look smart." Ambrose explained, "Boys aren't meant to be pretty, girls are. I get you wish you were older so you could have brought a boy to the dance, yeah?" He asked, "uhm, you've got a few crumbs down - erm, no just there - er..."

He leaned over cautiously and tried to brush the last of the crumbs off Rowena's dress.

"Boys are supposed to be handsome." Rowena nodded fervently at this, her hair bouncing a little. "Smart is good too, though!" It was very important for work after school. Something she hadn't figured out yet. Sophia probably had, though.

And then Ambrose was brushing at her dress and Rowena stumbled back a step, then looked down at it. "I think you got it! Though Mum always has them charmed. The garden likes to get mud on them." Along with little tears from thorns and stones and all sorts of things.

"I don't want a date yet, though. Everything is all pretty and distracting already and Father would be worried. He already wrote us about it." There wasn't anyone she was going to ask to the ball after that-not that she'd had her eye on anyone anyways. There were classes to worry about! And sitting there wishing she could be playing Quidditch already.

"Boys are supposed to be handsome. Smart is good too, though!"

"Hum, well, I can possibly work on the first, eh?" Ambrose suggested, not thinking himself all that smart.

"I don't want a date yet, though. Everything is all pretty and distracting already and Father would be worried. He already wrote us about it."

"He wrote to you to tell you not bring anyone to the ball?" Ambrose asked. He'd perhaps met Rowena's father during his childhood, the families were all friends of a sort, but it was his uncle, Monty who knew the Knights the best perhaps.

"But people go, you know, as friends?" Ambrose was puzzled, "You don't have to do the whole kissing thing. Merlin, I wouldn't at your age, its a bit... icky then."

Rowena cocked her head at him. Silly Ambrose. "All you Peppers are clever! Weird, but clever." Did that sound wrong? She blushed a little. "And the good kind of weird. I...uh...."

Maybe dates were better to talk about. "Yes, Father wrote us. He wanted to make sure we'd be proper and remember our dancing manners. And that he'd frighten off any dates we brought. He's good at that."  She sounded a little proud, especially of the last. Her Father was very important and serious and she liked to know he was concerned about them.

"Eeeew, kissing." Her face wrinkled up and she shook her head until more hair sprung loose. "I think Sophia is interested in it already. She's like Mum sometimes. I don't want to think about it yet!" And she didn't want to remember certain conversations about it. "I don't need to take someone as a date to hang out with them. And it worries my parents less."

Ambrose tried not to blush, but failed, as Rowena said about all the Peppers being clever. He was the exception... Weird, yeah, he could roll with that.

"Yes, Father wrote us. He wanted to make sure we'd be proper and remember our dancing manners. And that he'd frighten off any dates we brought. He's good at that."

Ambrose nodded, and his eyes raised to the ceiling as he tried to think,
"I expect Professor ... what's her name... from Beauxbatons - Deroses? Desrosier! Yeah, I expect she'd think that was the right thing to do."

But before long they were onto the kissing matter.
"I think Sophia is interested in it already. She's like Mum sometimes. I don't want to think about it yet! I don't need to take someone as a date to hang out with them. And it worries my parents less."

He gave his young friend and housemate a grin.
"Hah, well, trust me, its not worth the fuss in first year. Tried it in third, but I think fourth is the charm - less, ergh, sloppy. But some people get into it younger, yeah, but I think its one of those things you're meant to practise." Telling Rowena about him and Winnie trying it out that day didn't quite seem to be the best plan - a wise move for once from Pepper.

"What do you mean, like your mum? Oh, do you mean, like your mum likes kissing your dad a lot?" Ambrose asked, confused, "My parents used to do that - I swear they did it more when we were around, on purpose." Though perhaps these days he wouldn't mind so much.

Rowena's expression brightened a little. "Father always has good manners. I try. The Yule Ball is very important." It was also pretty, and there was lots of food. Which she was going to take more of later.

"Is kissing better now because you're older, or because you've had more practice?" She peered at him curiously. "Do I need to start practicing now?" This was confusing. What if she wanted to kiss people in her third year and hadn't practiced? "You don't catch anything bad from kissing, I think."

It had been a long conversation with Mum. She couldn't remember everything. "They don't kiss in front of us. I think it isn't proper. If they know we're there. They don't think we notice, but we do." A giggle, then a little bit of a blush. "And yes, she likes it."

"Uhhhgh!" Ambrose responded shaking his head with a grin, "I wish my parents thought it wasn't proper."

"But for what you mean about practising - like, I don't think its something you've got to. Speaking from experience, third year its still a bit weird," Ambrose pouted slightly his face twisting as he remembered trying it with Winnie - purely for research. "But yeah, its nice, but I think when you're a first year, its like kisses are to your mum and dad, but when you're older you kind of enjoy them."

He blushed and lowered his head, smiling coyly,
"Like I enjoy them with Cyhirae."

Ambrose grinned,
"Well you could always practise with a friend..." He suddenly suppressed a giggle at the thought which popped into his head, "Not sure you could practise on your sister!"

Rowena giggled at Ambrose's outburst. "Parents are odd sometimes. Even mine."

She played with a strand of hair as he continued on about kissing, trying to keep her face from turning too red. Which didn't work at all.

And her expression twitched and wrinkled up a little when he mentioned Cyhirae. "Don't encourage Sophia, though!" She leaned in toward Ambrose a little, and whispered. "She doesn't need it."

Which prompted a whole new round of blushing. At this rate Rowena would be spending the entire night a bright shade of red. "And I don't know who I'd practice with." She wrung her hands together and looked down. "Maybe next year." Second years were older and more mature and knew things. Hopefully. Though less than fourth years.

Ambrose laughed with good humour over the thought of the twins being able to share most things, but probably not that.

"Heh, well, I can't offer you practise now I've got Cyhirae as a potential proper girlfriend." He admitted, smiling, acting like a big brother all of a sudden, only that wouldn't be much use either. "I'm not sure you're meant to practise anyhow, until you find someone you like enough to kiss them in the first place. Its just... awkward. Besides, second year is still too early if you ask me, but I probably sound like your Dad."

He grinned and looked round at the dancers.
"I should probably be getting back to the others, though its been fun to catch up, Rowena. You got many plans for the rest of the night?"