Today was May Day, and it was a warm, if a bit overcast, of a day. It was evening on this Saturday, and Alana was nervously setting up the final touches for her party. She'd sent out invitations a couple of weeks ago, inviting all staff, both resident and visiting, to this party. While she saw a fair amount of her fellow professors on a regular basis, it was typically on an academic basis, or at basic things like breakfast. She wanted to get to know them outside of her work, and with the tournament going on, she felt they all could use a bit of a break.

Alana set up the last plate of food before wrapping festive cords with the four houses colors around the room. Now all there was to do was to take some deep breaths, and hope people actually showed up.

Tomorrow was Remembering Day and Isaac had felt the weight of the memories associated with it growing as he had moved through his class schedule that week.  It was like that every year, a feeling that would not pass until another Remembering Day was behind him.  So, the invitation to a May Day party had been a bit of a relief.  It was a distraction and usually when the professors gathered socially one could be sure something would occur that would set off the school gossip mill.  Right now a distraction was just what he needed.

It had been a bit of a scramble the last month or so to get back into the swing of things at Hogwarts and try to figure out how to best close out the year for the students.  He hadn't been able to really interact with his fellow staff members much, nor the visiting staff.  So, entering the staff room, he took a moment to take in the refreshments and decorations.  Noticing the Divination professor standing near by, he offered a small smile.

"Good evening, Professor Wright," he said.  "I was going to see if you needed any last minute assistance, but it seems you have everything under control.  The staff room looks lovely."

"They're not going to eat you.  You're accompanying me as a favor."  The first year that had followed Tulojow into the staff room had the wide-eyed appearance of a rabbit that just realized it'd hopped into the middle of a wolf den.  Face beet read, the young Gryffindor was issuing apologies to the other professors while he waited with the dish in his hand.  Tulojow's knee had been especially sore over the last few days, necessitating the use of her cane.  When the Healer had crossed paths with the youngster shortly after leaving the Hospital Hut with a pie plate, a wooden serving bowl and several glass bottles in hand, she'd jumped at the opportunity to beckon the young man to offer a hand.

The young Gryffindor had seemed pleased - proud, even - to be of assistance.  At least until he'd realized he was going into the student's forbidden domain: the staff room.  "Simply set the pie on the table and then you can be on your way.   Thank you, son."  The lad carefully set the pie on the table and turned to make his escape, squeaking slightly as another staff member met him at the door before disappearing down the corridor. 

"Peach pie and buffalo meatballs.  And, some cold homemade blackberry wine,"  Tulojow offered, uncorking the bottle.  Can I tempt anyone?"

Ahh, what a lovely spring day it was! Throughout all of her life experiences and travels, warm weather had always been Edolie's preference. While she could admit that it was nice to have a nice snowstorm every now and again - particularly around the holidays - in Edie's opinion, you just couldn't beat springtime. There was hardly a person in existence who still loved winter by the end of February or March, and the excitement of watching flowers colorfully leap from the ground was better than any snowman Edie'd ever built.

She felt like a child again, giddily picking flowers and arranging them into a vivid bouquet. While roaming outside, she'd made herself a bouquet of lavender - the smell was her favorite, and the smell of this particular batch was fresh and strong. She also gathered a bunch of blue hydrangeas, figuring that they would be a nice thing to bring to Alana's May Day party.... which was soon, wasn't it? Edie was pretty terrible with time.

After carefully picking out one more flower to fix in her hair, Edolie began to head back to the castle. She dropped off the lavender in her office and put the hydrangeas in a clear vase with some water. All of this was done while still wearing her sunglasses, but Edie was in such a good mood that she didn't notice that she was trapping herself in darkness. She cheerfully ambled down the corridor in the direction of the Staff Room, where the party was meant to take place.

Upon arriving she saw that a few of the other staff members had already dropped in. Edie was glad that other people were going, not that she would have minded spending an afternoon with Alana. The Divination professor had such interesting stories, and in many ways, their subjects overlapped. It was nice to see that Isaac and Tulojow were there as well. She briefly wondered whether the staff from any of the other schools would make an appearance.

"Hello, everyone!" Edie chirped. The room looked very festive with the decorations that Alana had put up, making the occasion feel that much more special. Edie walked over to Alana and held out the vase. "I was out walking in the gardens today and thought these might look good - not that you need any improvement!" Edie really was impressed by the professor's artistry.

Alana smiled warmly when Isaac entered the staff room and greeted her. She'd always liked Isaac, she felt they had a bit of a bond, what with them both being Hufflepuff alums, Scottish and Half-blood. "Hello Isaac," she replied, not bothering with professional titles. There weren't any students around, no need for formalities. "Thank you so much for coming." Alana glanced behind her at the decorations and blushed lightly. "Thank you. I'm no great decorator, but I tried my best," she gave him a wry grin, unsure that her best was very good. "Please, take something to eat or drink," she invited, gesturing to the food.

She had just finished offering Isaac to help himself when Tulojow entered the staff room, leaning heavily on her cane with a poor first year tiptoeing behind her. "Tulojow, how are you? I hope your leg isn't hurting too terribly," she said by way of greeting. She chuckled softly as the Gryffindor put the pie on the table and ran away, like a terrified animal. "Poor wee lamb," she joked, shaking her head. "Were we all like that once upon a time?" Alana's eyes widened with delight at the treats the healer had brought. "Oh I would adore a glass of your wine, I've heard marvelous things about it."

Edolie, or Edie as she often went by, was the next to arrive, looking as happy and upbeat as ever. She enjoyed the Ancient Runes Professor's company, she was so often in good spirits, and the two enjoyed swapping stories when they had the chance. "Hello Edie," Alana greeted, taking the vase from the other woman. "These are lovely, thank you." Alana took a deep whiff of the flowers and sighed in pleasure.