Closed Fall Ball 2023 Lanterns and Boat Rides

Interacting with @Eun-ji Lee Hunt, @Piérre Marchonné. and @Marietta Griffis

The two below were slowing, a morbid indication that their energy was waning. Not much longer before oxygen deprivation set in. Pericles had made up his mind on how to proceed, and though there was an additional chance of failure, it seemed a sensible risk. He had done it before, he could do it again. Pericles honed his will- tuning out the sharp-toothed beasts flitting around, the biting cold, the ominous dark- and incanted with intention. He manifested the sensation of a splitting spell, driving his cast with a desire to protect Piérre and the girl he'd accompanied. As protective bubbles appeared around their heads, he allowed himself a short sigh of relief. But they weren't out of the water yet. "AAAAAAAA--" "It's alright!" "AAAHAHAHA....!" "Still, Piérre, be still." "PERI, I-" "Sh sh shhh...."

Pericles descended, one arm after the other, trying to ignore the fact that the icy water had finally penetrated both of his boots. "I could kiss you right now, you... you...! Bird! Two birds! Two kisses!" “How about no kisses and more thinking?” "She's right," Peri chimed, managing to sound humored in spite of exertion, tapping the magic pocket of air. It rippled under his touch as he pointed out, "You might burst our bubbles. Let's get out of here." It hadn't escaped him that Pi's possible last act on earth was to sink down to a drowning student. They could unpack that later, though. Another grindylow made a pass at Pi, a chilling reminder that they needed to get out of the water as quick as they could. Peri bared his teeth at it in passing as he reached his hummingbird friend. "Get her to the surface, please! I drug her into this, it's all my fault, I'm such an idiot!"

"Don't say that," Peri soothed, ever keen on softening the psychological blow of their situation, though Eun-Ji remained keenly on track, unwavering until they were out of danger. “You are both going to the surface, one way or another. I’m going to cast ascension spell on them, okay?” "Right. I-" There was a great flash. Someone had cast an advanced level of Lumos, sending a brilliant light throughout the shadowy lake. Pericles was taken aback, then mortified, feeling more driven to hurry than ever before. "I'll help them into a boat, then I'll come back for you. We need to be quick. No telling what else that light will lure." They could see, but now, they were a beacon to the rest of the watery denizens too. Unless Piérre resisted, Pericles looped his hand under one arm and hooked it firmly over the opposite shoulder. "Take hold of her too, tightly."

Action: Grabbing Piérre, helping him and Marietta back into a boat if they accept
Conditional: will spell-spread the Ascension Spell on them only if Eun-Ji's cast fails

Reducio

﴾ Stamina - 10 | Evasion - 12 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 11 | ArcPower - 10 | Accuracy - 14 ﴿
Perfectionist, Keen Eye, Perfectionist II, Spell Spread, Animagus

Post Tracker: I - II - III - IV - V

Open / Closed
For interactions

The walk being calm is most likely the result of Bailey’s energy. That was one of the first few things he noticed when he met there. As if she had a soothing way to put others at ease. And usually, he would’ve hated her for it. But he was no longer that little kid who despised being at ease with others so much. It’s not like he loved it, of course. But it certainly did its trick on taking his mind off Eun-ji and that bratty date of hers.

He was meant to have a fun time, as much as Eun-ji did. He shouldn’t feel so awful, it’s not like they meant much to one another apart from fulfilling their own needs. It was certainly not his fault she was bad at picking suitable dates to escort her tonight. He’d much rather enjoy the banter between him and Bailey, he told himself.

However, it seemed like not even her presence could stop the unease in the air just as they arrived at their destination. At the glow of light surrounding the lake, Hanako let go of his hand from Bailey’s to shield his eyes. The hell? And it only got worse as he surveyed the scene. Kids swimming, boats toppling, yelling, slashing, and splashing from the water - clearly something was going on under there. The Great Lake wasn’t known for its super friendly inhabitants. It was odd, still. He didn't think they would be so openly hostile on a night like this. What could’ve caused it?

However, he wasn’t a Ravenclaw who would know how to help once he identified the cause. He wasn’t a Gryffindor who despite not knowing anything- would still jump in and help. He wasn’t a Hufflepuff who just helped because he was there and didn’t want anyone hurt. No no, he was a Slytherin. In nice terms, self-preservation tended to be a smarter move. Yet he didn’t deny being a coward to his core. Still, he couldn’t be happier with his decision regarding this whole mess. There was no way he was sticking around.

Unfortunately for him, his ball partner didn’t think the same. Just as she started to take a few steps towards the water, he firmly grasped her wrist, growing softer as she turned around. “Oh well, looks like Hogwarts curse of being unable to host balls without anyone dying is among us.” he said, his tone playing on a sort of hasty playfulness. “ I think we should go back to the banquet and let the idiots do something about it before the professors come. There's plenty, I'm sure”.

“But what about the people who are in the lake? Don’t you think we should help?”

“And risk ourselves? That’s not really in the itinerary for tonight, Glade”. But as she moved closer to the lake Hanako let out a groan and let her go but followed her a few steps behind.

“ Glade, come on-” he sighed, evidently starting to get flustered they were still in the area. Gosh, of all the things they had to have opposing views to, why does it have to be this one as well? It irked him to see her so eager to help. What was she looking for when she decided to stubbornly get into the lake with no plan, or knowledge, whatsoever. He didn’t think too fondly of heroism, and he certainly hoped she didn’t expect to be admired or praised. That certainly wasn’t coming from him at least. “ Jumping head first into this mess without even knowing what you’re up against is just… stupid frankly”

It was harsh and unusually blunt for Hanako, but it was needed. He was having a hard time seeing why she should join in the mess. Underneath his insistence, he didn't want her to get hurt. If she were to be injured when he could've stopped her then…

Hanako dreaded the thought. It was discomforting enough to be reminded he had a heart and that he could care for people. But still! Why not avoid it when he can? “Come on, Hana!!! What if there’s someone that you like in the lake? Surely you have at least one friend besides me, what if they’re in the lake?”

It truly was a mystery that Eun-ji came to mind. It was even more of a mystery why he was twice as uncomfortable as before. Before he could hide it, he glanced around. Trying to catch sight of her- dry, standing, and more importantly unharmed. Seconds passed without the right shade of red and evidently, there was a change stirring in Hanako. Eyes grew as tense as his shoulders. As if he never seemed to find what he was desperately looking for. Eun-ji always had a way to grab his attention naturally. It was stomach fluttering. Inviting a natural grin to spread on his face. Instil the urge for senseless jest just for a chance to see her smile.

This however was different.

This crawled up from his stomach and trapped itself in his throat. The air felt colder than necessary- leaving a trail of chill down his spine. Memories flashed, with her unconscious body on the dueling platform - his wand last aimed at her. “ I..” his voice faltered, almost an unnatural whisper-like quality to it. As if part of him wanted to hide. “ I. can’t”. A tense frown etched on his face as he stared at Bailey. It's not like she held the answers to his turmoil. Why even the possibility of Eun-ji in those waters made his hands weakly tremble. He grasped her hand, gentler this time as if trying to ask her silently if she really wanted this. Once he got his answer, he sighed and let go of her hand. With a swift movement, his wand was pointed at her head.

“Aspira” he uttered.

[If it worked. *NOTE if this does NOT WORK, everything in this scene is NULL]
The bubblehead charm covered her head whole. It’s useless on the ground, but it would certainly help loads underwater. “ This is stupid” he insisted, his voice weaker now despite sounding annoyed. “ But do what you want”. He paused for a moment, hesitant to say more before. He couldn’t completely hide the flicker of worry in his eyes before he turned away from Bailey and back closer to the shore.

His mind was far from at peace at the moment, looking far more annoyed than worried. He cast a long look at the waters. Torn between what would have been the better option. To see Eun-ji safe and sound, or see her bruised and tattered from her involvement with the creatures of the lake. Safe or not, it didn’t save him from the mental turmoil he endured because of her. And the big question as to what it meant.

EᑎᑕY :	ᗩᗷIᒪITIEᔕ
ᑭOᔕT TᖇᗩᑕK outdated opss *(*)*****	{ ᴮˡⁱⁿᵈᵛⁱˢⁱᵒⁿ } { ᴾᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿⁱˢᵗ } { ᴾᵃʳˢᵉˡᵐᵒᵘᵗʰ }}

∫ S t a m i n a : 10 • S t r e n g t h : 3 • A r c a n e : 13
∫ A c c u r a c y : 12 • E v a s i o n : 6 • W i s d o m : 10

Reducio

Story Progression (outdated oops)
* ( * )*(*)*****

Action: Casting Bubble Head Charm on @Bailey Glade. [godmodding allowed by her] and arriving at the the lake. And definitely not being worried for Eun-ji

Mentioning: (@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt) and @Kim Sato

Delilah's messy blonde curls bounced as she surfaced from the lake, her hazel eyes wide with panic. "Es! Es, where are you?" she called out, scanning the water frantically. The surface sparkled with the reflection of the moon, but there was no sign of her friend.

After a few moments of searching, Delilah reluctantly swam back to the boat, pulling herself up with a sigh. "Merlin's Beard!" she exclaimed, water dripping from her dress. The wooden planks creaked beneath her weight, and she let out a small, defeated sigh. Her usually chaotic blonde curls now clung to her face, wet and tangled, giving her a somewhat bedraggled appearance.She looked around, expecting to find Es there, but the boat was empty.

Frowning, Delilah waited, hoping her friend would appear in a swirl of water, but there was no response. "Well, this is just brilliant," she muttered to herself, her voice a mixture of frustration and amusement.

Just as Delilah was about to give up and sulk, she spotted another boat in the distance. Her eyes widened with realization. "Es, is that you?" she called out, waving her wand in the air. "Lumos!" she added, casting a spell that illuminated the tip of her wand with a soft glow.

As the light danced across the water, Delilah could see Es sitting alone on the distant boat, looking slightly bewildered. Delilah grinned and shouted, "Oi, Es! You left me for a swim with the mermaids! Come back, or I'll charm the giant squid to follow you around!"

Reducio

Renelle nodded distractedly, eyes shifting toward the chaos. “Right, I guess that’s the logical thing to do.” Even in her perturbed state, she couldn’t help but find some bitter humor in the fact that it was a Slytherin holding a Ravenclaw, of all people, from doing something rash. They really were the ultimate stereotype-breaking duo, for better or for worse.

And it wasn’t like they could have actually helped in any way. The first year could see several of the older students jumping in to help the victims of the choppy water, a few succeeding but plenty thwarted. It was unlikely that two first years could have achieved anything more than falling to the attacks themselves, and becoming more of a liability.

She hardly even noticed when the panicked-looking girl came to their side of the boat, firing of a series of rapid questions that Renelle could not make sense of, listening to her hazily. Would this girl try to rescue the fallen? Would she prevail? Or…. Die?

The whirling array of thoughts made her mind spin, yet everything felt like a dream. The shouts of the crowds, the victims, they all seemed so deafening. All she could focus on was the redhead next to her on the boat, the single constant she could rely on in this rapidly changing landscape.

She shivered. It really was cold.

She took a shaky breath, steeling herself to talk. But when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. She stared at the scene in front of her. Why was this happening? Balls were supposed to be fun, carefree- certainly not a desperate fight for your life. What happened to 'Hogwarts is the safest place in the world?' Would someone here, right now still thrashing against their binds, loose their fight eventually, and slip into eternal darkness forever? Would that person be someone she had perhaps talked to, interacted with before in the hallways of everyday routine?

When she finally managed to speak, she was pleased to hear she didn’t sound as shaken as she felt. “Yeah, we definitely need to get to shore soon.” She looked around at the boat. “So how do you make this thing move?”

Interacting with @Astra Norrick

october 6th 2023
the great lake
19:00

Although the chaos had died down since the first boat tipped, there were still people that needed rescuing.

Spells
- Zach Zaphiere - casting immobilous on gr1
Zach wis [d20 : 8] + 9 = 17, success
Zach acc [d20 : 9] + 8 = 17
Grindylow eva [d20 : 9] + 6 = 15, hit!
Grindylow is frozen and Helena is free to swim away

@Zach Zaphiere successfuly casts the spell, hitting the Grindylow which freezes, gently drifting away from @Helena Rose.

- Eun-ji Lee Hunt - casting ascension spell on Piérre Marchonné and Marietta Griffis
WDC: 15 + 2
Eunji wis [d20 : 13] + 12 = 25, success

@Eun-ji Lee Hunt successfully casts the spell, causing @Piérre Marchonné and @Marietta Griffis to be lifted out of the water and on to the shore, safely away from the Grindylows.

- Pericles Dralt - Conditional: will spell-spread the Ascension Spell on them only if Eun-Ji's cast fails
- Piérre Marchonné - conditional - casting flipendo on gr2

- Hanako Tone - Casting Bubble Head Charm on Bailey Glade
Hanako wis [d20 : 3] + 10 = 13, success

@Hanako Tone successfully casts the charm, and a bubble encases @Bailey Glade's head.

Other actions

- Romeo Marchonné - (martial artist) kicks gr4
Romeo acc [d20 : 16] + 21 - 2 - 2 = 33
Grindylow eva [d20 : 4] + 6 = 10
Grindylow takes (100*20*1.1)/5 = 440 HP damage
Grindylow health [160/600]

@Romeo Marchonné kicks a grindylow. It floats backwards before swimming away into the murky water, severely injured.

Boat Rolls
- Raizel Voltrouz and Zach Zaphiere
- Estelle Nyx
- Delilah Chapman
In the above order:
[4d20 : 7,2,14,17], Raizel and Zach fall into the lake

@Raizel Voltrouz and @Zach Zaphiere share a boat. However, as Zach casts his spell, freeing Helena, he leans too far overboard and tumbles into the water, taking Raizel with him.

Zach str [d20 : 3] + 3 = 6
Grindylow str [d20 : 4] + 4 = 8, Zach is grabbed and dragged 2m
Rai str [d20 : 20] + 3 = 23
Grindylow str [d20 + 15] + 4 = 19, Raizel remains safe

@Raizel Voltrouz resurfaces, but @Zach Zaphiere is pulled down, under the water, by the hands of a grindylow.

Breaking free
- Helena Rose
- Rodney Hughes
Rodney str [d20 : 8] + 5 - 3 = 10
Grindylow str [d20 : 2] + 4 = 6
Rodney escapes

@Rodney Hughes just manages to free himself from the grindylow's grasp before he falls unconscious, floating limply in the water.

It seemed as if the attack had begun to relent. Only one person was still trapped, and although there were still people in the water, they were fewer than had been earlier. The cold night air affected those who were still wet, causing rounds of shivering. The few people left on the lake could see that the water was calmer, gently lapping the against the boats.

OOC Information
Welcome to the lake! Before you enter, please read the following:

Reducio

1. Your character must be indexed. If you are not yet indexed, please register here
2. There are two activities you can partake in this area — lantern-making and the boat ride
3. Moderation will occur once a week on Saturdays. Clarification is below
4. Your character is allowed one moderated action per round. Please specify these actions in your post
   
   Reducio

   A moderated action is anything requiring rolls e.g. casting a spell (at someone), punching someone. If the action is only between PCs and is consensual, it will not require rolls e.g. asking someone to dance.
5. If your PC is moving between the banquet and the boat rides, please specify your movement in your post
6. Please follow all normal H.io site rules while participating in the ball.

ALERT
• @Zach Zaphiere has been grabbed by Grindylows
• Every round, he will be dragged 2m underwater and will slowly lose health
• The Grindylows have 600 HP

Note: please don't describe anything extra that hasn't been stated in the mod. If you're dragged under, your actions must be moderated.

IC Date: October 6, 2023
Time: evening
Interacting with @Renelle Dalton, @Rodney Hughes
Astra speaking: #136323
Renelle speaking: #00002b
Thoughts: Italics
Others: #theirhex

It was so cold.

Astra and Renelle both shivered in their dresses, the clammy fabric clinging to them like an unshakable cough.

So much was happening. People were coming out of the water, getting saved.

Renelle had a good point. How would the two severely unprepared first years row back to shore? Astra's thoughts were sluggish, she couldn't think of a good spell. There were no sticks out in the middle of the lake, only people swimming and thrashing and splashing and floating upside down-

No. That's not right.

Rodney?

"Rodney," she said aloud, moving as quickly as she could without rocking the boat. The boy floated unconscious in the lake, the mouth that had talked her ear off in a good way just a few days earlier now was limply shut against the lapping waves. Astra looked to Renelle. "Can we get him in the boat? Could we... Could we use... the charm, the- the floaty charm," she rambled, snapping her fingers as she tried to get the words to work. "Wingardium leviosa! We could use that, right?" She didn't remember Professor Fresnel saying it could t work on people, only remembering that moment when Delainie freaking Sliverwing used it against her.

The only other option was to drag him into the boat. He was close enough, Astra reckoned, and honestly she probably shouldn't try spells now. She had been lucky with her success with the Red Sparks. Would she be so lucky a second time?

"Renelle. Help me pull him in." Of course it was because Rodney was someone she suspected would be friend, but it was also because of her own experience with the grindylows. Rodney had probably already been fighting them and wasn't so lucky as Astra.

And what horrors could befall him if they were to strike while he was unconscious.

So she turned her desperate gaze, usually so well at covering emotion, to her best friend and said, "Help me. Please. We need to get him to safety with us!"

ACTION: Attempting to pull Rodney into the boat

Interactions ❯❯ @Zach Zaphiere | @ | @
Mentions ❯❯ @ | @ | @

❂《 ⌜ October 6, 2023 ▎ 19:00 ⌟

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When you think that things are going right, it takes a massive U-turn. In this case, falling off a boat is probably not that bad. If only Raizel could swim though then it would've been okay but she can't.

There was something in these waters, that much is known. She could see it when both her and Zach leaned towards the edge of the boat to see the movements within the dark lake, lit up only by her own Lumos Duo. Zach aimed a nicely casted Immobulus to whoever or whatever was in there and he succeeded. Raizel smiled at that success and it was probably worth celebrating if only they didn't find themselves falling off of their boat due to Zach leaning too far.

A splash accompanied their fall and Raizel's mind of course went into panic mode as soon as she found herself within the cold embrace of the lake. Uh oh, was all she could think of while holding her breath, wand in her hands while her eyes darted off towards the surface that wasn't that far off. Her survival instincts quickly kicked in. She doesn't know how, she doesn't even know she could but she resurfaced after kicking in the water. Heck, she doesn't care if she looked funny trying to swim back up for all she cares was to get back up there.

She took hold of the nearest object near her when she broke through, gasping for air and clinging on to the side of the boat like her life depended on it. "Well that went swimmingly…" she can't help but say with sarcasm before climbing up back to the boat, water dripping down and shivering due to the cold breeze. She looked around, finding out that Zach wasn't resurfacing. Panic came once more as she frantically scanned the area for her friend but he wasn't there. She looked down, seeing the shadows within the water. Whatever was down there, it had probably taken Zach hostage. "Oh no you don't." She readied her wand once more, ready to cast another spell.

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⌜ Lanterns and Boat Rides ⌟ | ⌜ WC: 347/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #800000

INVENTORY

Outfit Reducio

Items Reducio Wand Enchanted Satchel Potions: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons, Muffling Draught

Action: Climbing onto the boat before casting a spell (with conditions): Depulso at Zach's Grindylow friend only if he couldn't get the Grindylow off of him. Casting Wingardium Leviosa at Zach to get him up to the surface if he is successful in driving off the Grindylow.