Patience Finished

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

Date: June 19th Mentioning/Interacting: Open to any Durmstrang student @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin Schnell Languages: German English Russian French Outfit/Physical Characteristics: Reducio A comfortable summer suit and comfortable shoes Silver hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheekbones Age: 15 Location: Durmstrang IC Date: 01/26/2024

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂ Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer

Patience

xxxxxGellert hungered as Valentin pursed his lips and took in everything about him. He desired heavily for the other to discover more than what eyes staring into each other could ever discover. He longed to be one, to know each other so deeply that one need not ask anything. He desperately desired to show more and bare more to Len as the greed in the other's eyes shone brightly in the winter sky. As the other allowed him to caress his face with no resistance, Gell felt the smoothness of Len's face and the soft hair that was silk under his hand. There was a sensitivity in every part of Len's body but also a strength. There was proof in the way Len looked so alive and so tuned in with the present and Gel melted into the moment, yearning to grow evermore and forever more. The touching skin between them burned and burned, as fire within their souls, as supernovae bursting with light a thousand times brighter than anything on Earth. There was union and even if they were to never see each other ever again, they would be connected and forever connected. He allowed Len to lean him against the snowbank and there was a whimper that escaped out of Gell's mouth unconsciously when Len sunk his hand into his hair. The One stared at him and Gell allowed him to stare. He breathed as one with the other. Gellert desired to find the one and he heard the prophetic words of Len. "Yes, I hear you. Yes, as it is written, it will always be. I give up all preconceptions of what I believe and hope and bond myself to you. From this moment on, whether we see each other again or no, it is forever written in the stars that our unity will be maintained forever more. Love flows as rivers between us and we shall amplify our hearts toward one another. There is love and it is all there is. There is neither you or I or one, love is all that truly exists." He allowed Len to hold his hand and Gell smiled back when he saw the adoration on the other's face. There was a kiss upon his cheek and he felt it last. There was hot air between the both of them steaming in the cold winter air. Len stood up and Gellert filled with passion rushed up and if the other would allowed it, he would grab the other by the shoulders, bring them both down again to the ground, and kiss the other on the lips. There was no other answer to what the natural conclusion of this time would lead to, he must pursue the other fully and that was if the other desired, a slow and long kiss taking in every moment, with nothing else in his mind.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

This was the weekend I was going to rededicate myself to brushing up on survivalist skills, and to do that I had to get far away from the castle and as far into the belly of the beast as I could feasibly orienteer myself back to the said castle--preferably without falling victim to hypothermia, animals both magical and mundane, or frostbite and exposure. I wanted, particularly, to practice foraging. I needed to practice endurance training. I needed to work on strength training. I needed to work on mental willpower.

And I had been faltering in all of those three aspects. Most of my days had gone by in a messy blur, and those that didn't had seemed to drag on and on heavier than the feeling of my limbs as I had hauled myself from class to class with a backpack that seemed to only grow more and more weighty every day. I got exhausted quicker, I got lightheaded more suddenly. At times, black spots seemed to dance before my eyes and I would have to catch myself on the stairs to right my sights and clear my vision before I could move on. Headaches were becoming more common. I simply felt unwell, but I had stapled it to the idea that I was overworking myself, that I was burning myself out, that I was working out too hard and that I was simply suffering some kind of nervous exhaustion that would eventually work itself out of my system around or during the incoming summer.

I had started believing this as early as February.

So here I was, trekking through the wilds with only wand, a rucksack of around 25 kilos, and Valentin's father's Oakshaft 79 as security. Just in case, of course, something didn't go according to plan or I needed a quick out. Everything else I had was simple enough to include firm but breathable winter clothes to include my red and black Durmstrang cloak, winter hiking boots complete with ice-gripping spikes, and my red scarf bundled tightly around my neck and face. I was trying to pack light but efficient... And I hadn't quite figured out if I had been able to achieve that goal just yet...

I had been setting up a small area and clearing out a pocket of snow to line with snow and stones in preparation to create a fire pit. It was a small fire, one I was trying to alleviate of smoke with its tinder, kindling, and fuel. As I had been getting ready to try my hand at lighting the tinder with the help of a steady flint and a small steel, I became aware of a noise on the wind--like voices. Maybe it was a scream... I didn't think much of it at first--it was more than likely another intrepid adventurer trying to brave the wilds as was common of the intrepid Durmstrang soul. But when the voices became louder in a crescendo nearing that of excitement I began to suspect it was not what it first appeared. It could, just as easily as it could have been someone genuinely excited, be someone in a state of distress--and not just one someone but possibly two.

That putting of two and two quickly and assumptively together in my mind did not herald for any good news--especially if it was a kid who didn't know what they were doing. "Dannazione... Darn it..." I muttered, picking up a few things and then leaving a marker as I left the area to remind me where my hidden temporary campsite was. I started tracking down and following the voices. As I got closer the words started to get more clear, but the trees weren't really helping to make things entirely clear until I was close enough to breach the treeline and come into the open as a reddish spot against the pure white snow and glacier walls on either side.

There, in the center of the scene of ice and turned over snow, was Valentin's familiar angelic halo of white and his cloak of red and silver. And someone else was taking his face in both hands and drawing him...

I cleared my throat loudly as my cloak rippled slightly in the wind. The cold didn't bother me, not with a newly found bubble of red hot indignance finding itself well at home in my stomach along with a certain sensation of bile rising up my throat. Pale wand was under my cloak, a hefty and thorny switch of a wand that had no desire to break if used. "Hey!"

The words left my lips before I thought better to ignore or subconsciously edit them prior to their maiden voyage across the space between myself and them. "Pardon me. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything in... particular." The words carried a slightly miffed undercurrent which illustrated an ability to substitute a more crass way of wording the otherwise polite enunciation. I felt my eyes narrow ever so slightly as my gaze turned from Valentin and his compromising state to the other fair-haired boy. The strangest thought, the oddest inner observation of mine, was just how similar they looked at first glance. Were it not for the slightly less-pale complexion of the other boy--meaning of course that he had not the albino nature which Valentin had in spades--and darker eyes than he as it was a paler hue of blue to mine, they were near indistinguishable.

Blinking once slowly, I sniffed and then wrinkled my nose for a second before lightly itching it and then blinking again. I raised my eyebrows. Strange how I always seemed to be coming across Valentin in these sorts of moments--and also similarly strange how every time I beheld it I couldn't seem to ignore a twang of indignation that came with the beholding. What, I wondered, was the story behind this certain escapade? I was sure it was going to be a good one--it always was when it came to Valentin and his adventurous spirit entangled and enamored with a romantic heart that struggled to find a place in a world that was not intended for its gaieties and flights of essentially necessary poeticism.

The nagging voices in the back of my head and the sensation of cold but acidic heat in my stomach, however, was not having any of my excuses--and it demanded instead for an explanation. It demanded for recompense or at least for a good reason not to be caused to slip into sheer unwieldy anger.

I nebulously indicated to the two of them, the tone of my voice unchanging. "... Well?" I queried. I found myself more interested in what the other boy had to say, actually. I usually understood Valentin and his heart better than I understood those who tried to--for lack of a nicer way of putting it (at times) in my eyes--wheedle their way into his company. I had spent far too long trying to keep an eye on him and making sure that he came to no harm: even a seemingly unthreatening component had quickly risen to the level of a threat in my eyes. I couldn't afford to take many risks--especially considering what I knew about Valentin, the experiences that he had undergone, and the kinds of people that had taken interest in him in the past. One too many bad experiences had created a very suspicious persona in me when it came to the interactions of others around him. I did not want him getting hurt.

That would be unforgivable, and anyone who did try would indeed live long enough to regret it were I able to help it. I had proven enough of that in the past to convince even those who claimed to be in the top quartile of those with the most stalwart hearts to take at least a little heed of the even infinitesimal danger that came with even a humble issuance of my sharp and leading interrogations.

"Care to tell me how, uh..." I gestured again with both hands this time before returning them into their crossed state gently over my chest, fiddling with a hand at the clasp of the cloak. "You seem to know each other?" A bitter turn came to my lips.

This was, of course, just a gentle band-aid over the wound--but the tone of my voice was not one that Valentin in particular would be unfamiliar with. It was the kind of voice that I usually used when someone on the team had severely messed up... and that I was about to very quickly issue out corrections for in a very very different mannerism almost diametrically opposed to the way that I usually liked to conduct myself as a student.

Around this time it was traditional for my player on the receiving end to pick a god and pray that it was the right one.

A turn deep in my gut twisted itself deep and sank in hard... but my poise stood unwavering. This was not quite how I had wanted my weekend to go... but here I was and here I would stay. Because obviously I could be nowhere else, not with things and the situation being as they were.

Just as Valentin sat up, Gellert grasped him by both shoulders and brought him back down to the ground again. A gust of powdered snow puffed into the air with the soft thud of collision, and a wild grin spilled across Valentin’s face like the breaking light of dawn. While he had been trying to practice patience and restraint, Gell’s sudden reversal sent Val’s heart leaping forward by several beats. Then, as Gellert’s lips descended towards Valentin’s, time itself seemed to be freezing over as it slowed. Each rise and fall of Valya’s chest felt huge, like each breath lifted the sky itself higher before succumbing to slipping back down towards the frosty earth. Amethyst eyes watched those pink lips sinking towards him, totally immersed and oblivious to everything else, for the moment’s grandeur compelled his complete and unbroken attention. The warmth of the boy atop him lured the seeker’s icy hands into folds of his clothing, and although the snow crunched nearby, all Valentin understood was a silky texture as Gell’s lip —

"Hey!" came a shout from very close by.

Brain warped by the intensity of the moment and a headrush caused by Valentin’s slug-enthralled condition, animal instincts took over and concluded such a yell was an imminent threat. Valentin’s hand ripped back to his hip and drew his wand to defend his ward and himself from the looming figure now entering Val’s peripheral vision. Pressing up against Gellert as he tried to rise, whether the other continued to hold him down or not, Valentin’s hand was already moving.

“Confrigo!” screeched Val’s maddened draconian war cry (13+24=37 success), but as his targeting eye locked onto the one and only Romeo Marchonné, air locked up Valentin’s throat and he flicked his hand to the side just quickly enough to send the blasting spell into a dip in the snow 4 feet to Romeo’s left. Speechless at what he had just done, Val choked in the effort to breathe. What the fuck, VALIK!? he mentally screamed at himself. What is WRONG with you?! Stribog’s breath! Get a hold of yourself! As he heaved quickly in adrenaline-shocked gasps, Valentin’s gaze stared at Romeo unblinking and with soul-piercing regret. The sound of his spell’s explosion echoed through the canyon walls around them on every side, as if in voices of judgment scorning what the boy had inadvertently done.

“O-Oh no. Romeo. I didn’t know it was you. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what overcame me. That was total insanity. I didn’t mean it, I swear. You just startled me. I thought you were a bear or… well…” Valentin knew it sounded stupid. He hadn’t explicitly thought the other was a bear, but was simply overcome with animalistic reflexes against an unidentified threat. That bears couldn’t talk just made it seem even stupider, and Valentin squinted his eyes shut in the pain of utter embarrassment. He got the impression that Romeo had said something else too, but none of it had penetrated the fog of war that overtook Valentin’s mind lock, stock, and barrel. A puddle to Romeo’s side hissed with the sizzle of steam and the black curls of smoke wafting from charred dirt and pine needles, singing the nose as enduring reminders of what had just happened.

A buzzing filled Valentin's ears and he shook his head to try to dislodge a grey haze in his vision, but it would not dissipate. Rather, as he looked upon the powerful form of the 7'0" beater towering above, Valentin’s eyes filled with a wash of black spots. It was only then that he realized how excruciatingly hungry he felt, although it was not merely the mortal hunger of a healthy human body.

"Care to tell me how, uh..." uttered Romeo with a gesture. "You seem to know each other?"

Realizing that his co-captain had surely just walked onto the scene while Gellert was right on top of him, Valentin felt pain like a punch in his gut. Oh… Oh… The ache radiated then up his spine until it found a new focal point at the bundle of nerves behind his eyes. Suddenly the brilliant white of the snow stung his eyes and they began to water in a psychosomatic reaction. A deeply unsettling dread filled Valentin up as he came to realize where he was and what he was doing. Had this been another occasion of being seduced by some magical nature spirit intent on stealing away unknown pieces of him, like the time by the lake that left him spiralling into a warped hell of broken realities for the last several months? Had Romeo just saved him from another such fate, or…?

Looking back at Gellert, Valentin blinked in confusion. How much of what just happened had really been real? Was this truly the boy he’d studied in his quest to improve their quidditch holdings, an equal with transcendental emotional connection, or was there now a fantastical beast of the wilds that was holding him down? It had all seemed so perfect, so spiritual, so divine……. but was it all an illusion?

The slip of moving snow on a slope behind them drew Valentin’s eye, and then came a creak and moan of permafrost under the weight of moving ice. Yet, as he continued to scan the canyon walls that surrounded them on every side, all was still again except for a single clump of snow falling from a spruce clinging to a high rocky edge. Returning his heliotrope eyes to lock onto Romeo’s, Valentin’s lips parted in a wordless apology. Every drop of his co-captain’s pain soaked into him as Valya felt his heart tearing apart. Breathlessly mouthing the name, Romeo, Valentin knew he had dealt him a wound, even though he didn’t really believe why.

Basic Stats:
STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 20 [24] - ARC 1 - ACC 17

Abilities:
Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Languages: Parseltongue & Veela

@Tristan Theramin (Gellert Schroeder)

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

OOC Date: June 19th Mentioning/Interacting: Open to any Durmstrang student @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin Schnell @Piérre Marchonné as Romeo Giovanni Marchonné Languages: German English Russian French Outfit/Physical Characteristics: Reducio A comfortable summer suit and comfortable shoes Silver hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheekbones Age: 15 Location: Durmstrang IC Date: 01/26/2024

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂ Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer

Patience

xxxxxGellert heard the shout of another echoing through the white snow and he turned to see a very tall student, he assumed it was a student, as he was without a doubt not a professor. The new addition to the duo seemed to object at what had just happened as he had a polite interjection that was filled with an undercurrent of something more, "Pardon me. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything in... particular." However, as Gellert was about to explain the deep connection that had surprisingly overtaken him, perhaps enchanting him in a manner he never would have expected. In fact, he never would have realized that finding the one one would lead to a kiss in the snow banks of the forest near the fortress of Durmstrang. He had always imagined, he'd find the one beyond the constraints of human sexuality. However, if the other desired it, he would give all of himself even stolen kisses in the night. He was about to answer in summary of such but Len shot a raged "Confringo" against the stranger and shocked Gellert into movement. He took out his wand in preparation to keep the stranger safe until a healer could look into his injury and was confused and relieved when Len seemed to recognise the other and moved his hand in the direction of the snow. "Len, are you alright" Gellert questioned in hopes of comforting the other as well as making sure he was okay. He heard the stupid excuses that Len gave that made no sense and he knew something was wrong. He was also concerned for the other, "Romeo was it, are you alright?" The puddle of melted snow was sizzling with steam and the smoke that came from the pine needles burnt to the crisp had a distinct smell. "Is anyone hurt" Gellert repeated again in slight shock returning back to the person he knew. Len was blinking at him and Gellert saw his One seem to disappear down into a mental rabbit hole whether doubting reality or something else of the sort. The confusion was clear at least. Gellert placed his eyes straight into the other and tried to convey that everything was alright that everything that he had said was true even if Len was the kind of person that would shoot violent spells at other people. He offered a hand or a hug, any of the sort that Len needed, anything that Len took, Gell would offer. Gellert stayed silent from then on allowing Romeo and Val to interact in the way they needed.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The shout of Valentin, the wild incantation that he cast forced me to throw my arm up reflexively to cover my face as one of my feet drug back to fortify my stance. I was either bracing for a hard blast of an explosion or at least the shards of such a fallout. The snow to my side seemed to evaporate itself near instantaneously, kicking up pine needles and the hard permafrost beneath it that had frozen the soil into rather aggressive icy shards that flew across my body. One bad one cut my cheek, drawing a rivulet of crimson Confringo Miss = [20 + 8*1ArcPower] = 28hp that quickly tracked to my chin and dripped once before the cold began to freeze it directly to my skin.

Shocked, I lowered my arm down with alarmed eyes to behold Valentin, who had already begun to visibly tailspin into his own shock. It was not this reaction that had shocked me, but rather the reaction of him actually reacting the way he initially had. I stared into those lilac eyes as they scoured into my own that were glittering with a mild fear--something I did not like showing, but... arguably I deserved to act at least surprised enough to appear remotely afraid of a reaction I had not been expecting. My mouth rounded into a querying 'What...?' but the words never left me. I couldn't look away from Valentin, now finding myself moving slowly as if he were a predator that could be set off again if I didn't move calmly enough.

"A bear." I finally said softly, almost hollowly in my own surprise. "A bear. N-no, that's... you surprised me too, I..." My brows furrowed heavily as I slowly relaxed. The injury hadn't been too bad. I was alright. I hardly felt it, actually. I dared not look away from Valentin, trying to work out what it was that had just happened and replaying the moment over and over in my head.

The way that his eyes had flashed. The speed at which the wand had raised from an unseen place. The desperation of the cry. The... fury. Had such lovely rage been something that he had inherited from his mother, which she had in her veins by nature of her ancestry such gorgeous fury?

And where Valentin's words had failed to answer my question, as he took on the nature of a beaten puppy even as I had asked, as his mouth formed my name...

The other spoke.

The other moved.

The canyon creaked with the sound of moving snow and ice while the wind howled through its deep recesses that if one had ears to hear could sing melodies that only Nature knew. Years and years, centuries to millennia, had worked to create these shapes, these melodies. The groaning of ice itself was sacred, though. The sound of the danger of nature, its easy ability to bring low man no matter how stalwart or self-assured he was of his ability. Avalanches did not discriminate between the ones that feared it and the ones that adored, they simply collapsed and fell as they desired. They crushed and stampeded down their place until gravity, its only master, would satiate its wild run.

With suddenness, my eyes flicked from Valentin to the other. "You. Stay away from him." I barked, a flicker of white transforming into the fact that I had drawn my wand and had pointed it at him. "I didn't introduce myself. You do not have permission to use my name." The cold bite at the end of my words had fangs that sank in like frostbite.

His hand, his body moved towards Valentin. "No." I flicked the wand ever so slightly to reemphasize its presence as I took an aggressive step forward. If he dared disobey my order, Ötzi would find himself better off than this one. "Get away from him." My teeth clenched together tightly. "I don't fire warning shots. He's fine, I'm fine. You won't be if you don't do as I say and back off."

I had already seen this similar sort of situation less than a month ago, a disgusting experience in which I had found Valentin in a similarly compromising position but one that I had come too late to to break up. The kid that had done it to him had been a good deal more smarmy than this one, but I had learned long ago not to take chances. I had had one too many bad apples too close to Valentin for my taste, both those who presented themselves a suitors and those that had proven themselves to be interested in nothing more than his demise. Valentin was surrounded on all sides by foes, and those that would want to find themselves closest to him were the ones that had to be not only screened but tested in fire the most.

I had earned a rare honor from Valentin, the honor of his trust and the honor of being the one that could present my case to him--the warnings and the advice that I had even if my opinions were flawed. I had earned that rare trust, and I had vowed my honor on that trust that had been extended to me. I would do as I had always done, as I had promised that I would do from the moment that beneath my hands and mouth he had returned to the land of of the living to the moment I had become his co-captain, to the tumult and the terror of the wild and terrible labyrinth of his family and mine, to the unresolved emotions and the uncertainties that surrounded the connection strung between us like a spider's silken thread. That terrible connection that had no resolution... because of me, but because I felt something wrong when others saw what I did in Valentin and when I saw what I did in Valentin.

So my hand did not shake as I continued to point the pale and blue-trimmed wood that was slowly dying even as it was held in my broad hand. Dying for a while, it had been, my sheer determination the only thing holding it together. "We are leaving. Valentin and I. You found your own way out here, so I presume you have your own way back. Take it."

Looking for approval from Valentin and his wills, I glanced to him and stared into his wide and starlight-capturing eyes with hard blue diamond eyes of my own. "Valya. Se ti senti minacciato, vieni. If you feel threatened, please come." I nodded sternly, my brows still creased. My left hand reached for him carefully, my right hand upon my wand still trained on the other. "Sto bene. Non mi hai fatto del male. Ma per favore, vieni con me. Sono preoccupata per te. I'm alright. You didn't hurt me. But please, come with me. I'm worried for you."

"Len, are you alright?" asked Gellert, drawing Valentin’s eye to him briefly before it shot back to the cliff edges in search of a telltale slippage of white. Was Val alright? Certainly the captain was known for being incredibly fast, but he was not so hotblooded as to shoot before even knowing his target. Anyone who really knew him could have concluded that Val had not been himself, or at least, a true and real part of him had been activated by something beyond his control.

“A-ah,” stalled Val, trying to explain to himself what had just happened but failing to come up with any answer that equated to him being “alright.” “Honestly I think something has been wrong with me for a while.” The words fell from his mouth before he knew what he was saying. Ah, well, it’s the truth, however weird that sounds. If he takes me for a monster, well… it’s only when someone intimately understands me that I can believe claims that they truly love me and that I am the One. Would his words turn and tuck tail if he knew what I really was… about the true nature of my ancestry? We’ll never know unless he has enough passion to actually break free and find out. I asked him to release preconceptions in order to know the One, but so many can’t be bothered to learn and instead just swallow without question.

Gellert returned his gaze to Valentin and repeated his inquiry. Blinking back at him, amethyst eyes not only wondered what the other was seeing in him, but if he was clearly seeing Gell in turn. What was the purpose of repeating his question, wondered Val. Did he not hear, does he doubt my words, is he seeking clarification? Frustrated, Valentin shook his head. He had thought he was having a marvelous time indeed but the words of Sergei loomed heavily in his mind:

This boy you are so devoted to, who is he even? Do you even know his last name? None of us have ever seen him. What do you know about him? You really let your fame go to your head, thinking you can’t be led astray, can’t be duped by simple tricks. So you met this enchanting creature by a lakeside on an alluring, magical night, but what happened then…? In the twinkle of an eye, he was mysteriously gone. Have you forgotten each and every cautionary tale about the victims of water spirits? The sea siren, the boto, the morgen, the rusalka, the nixie—all around the world they draw you to the edge to have their way with you and then leave you drowned. It’s a story as old as time, but the only champion to resist their ruination is the one who knew to stuff his ears with wax to block out the monsters’ seduction. Little Valentin did not heed the words of his father, who tried so hard to teach him the old tales. You may have walked away physically, but you did not escape that thing’s curse. Look at what you’ve become—obsessed and empty, a lost soul, detached from reality— and for what? One intoxicating night and tear-soaked hallucinations trailing at your feet. Who knows how you are serving that creature’s needs now. Young dreamer, teenage Valentin, the would-be immortal king who was made a fool by his own naïveté for believing in true love… admit to your mistakes so that those who care can still help you find your way home to sanity. This isn’t love, Valenka; you’re simply a casualty. The “boy” you devoted yourself to has no more substance than a mirage, an imago, and all too easily would this predator allow you to worship him. You have to accept that such cruelty exists in the world if you are to ever let the scales fall from your once-keen eyes. It’s the true believers like you that make the best targets precisely because you would sacrifice your everything for them. They have the most to gain from selfless types like you. Can’t you see that you’re failing everyone around you now? Others need your care and your clarity, but there’s nothing left of you to give because you won’t let go of a toxic illusion. What about those who have stood by you for years, through thick and thin, fighting and spilling blood for you? If you can’t listen for your own sake, at least think of them.

Romeo stood, undaunted, a trickle of red running down his face before it froze under the chill of the wilds. His Mediterranean blue eyes held mild fear as he mouthed his question -- 'What...?'

Valentin’s gaze returned with the answer: something is wrong. The savage draconian gleam was gone, sheathed like a scimitar to await a truly righteous target. Icy dampness lined the corners of Valentin’s eyes from the emotional backlash from physically wounding the other. With the tones of dried blood matching the pure red of his cloak and the ruddy tinge of Romeo’s hair, Valentin found himself staring. It was a beautiful scene, and for as long as the beater could not look away, neither would the seeker avert his gaze.

"A bear," returned the Italian. "A bear. N-no, that's... you surprised me too, I..."

Valentin watched the other’s brows furrow as Romeo began to relax again, and so too he sighed in relief. Of course his co-captain understood what Val meant. He didn’t have to explain trivialities anymore when such mistakes were made. Romeo’s interlocking gaze did not waver for even a moment, holding the amethyst eyes fast in their grasp as their truths spilled out through Valentin’s expression. Yes, I would destroy. No, not you. For you. With you.

Valentin tilted his head to the side, a skein of duckfluff hair falling away from in front of his right eye, which glinted back with obscure pleasure. It was in fact the very same look Romeo had seen in the moving photograph of Valentin’s mother in the book of purebloods. In this lighting, Valya’s eyes were shockingly vibrant in their purple color. Would Romeo have noticed the deepening intensity of that color over all these years of them gazing back at him? Such a brief flash of Valentin’s personal information as that photo – would the Italian even remember it? He had taken the time to learn about Val back then, and when the first details of Valentin’s secrets began to spill out, Romeo had not rejected him. Not yet, anyway.

Romeo’s eyes flicked back to Gellert, who offered Valentin a hand or a hug with his eyes indicating that Val’s earlier display of violence had not put him off. Valentin simply shook his head once more. The platinum blonde then remained silent, but Romeo wouldn’t.

"You. Stay away from him." Pointing the dying wand directly at Gellert, Romeo’s words bit like the fangs of a wolf. The blonde’s movements only yielded further reprimands through the Italian’s clenched teeth. "Get away from him. I don't fire warning shots. He's fine, I'm fine. You won't be if you don't do as I say and back off."

The way the black wolf fur rimmed Romeo’s face as he held to his pointed, unshaking pose tickled the back of Valentin’s mind. The tone in his voice… it all… it all reminded him of something.

“Non osare morire. Muori e io ti uccido, cazzo! Don't you dare die. Die, and I f-----g kill you!”

Valentin didn’t truly remember the words. He only knew them as a musical strain that time his life was bleeding away into the earth. They’d sounded then like a wolf’s growl, and then a howl, one calling him back to the land of the living the way his mother had always promised the legendary Көк Бөрі would do for her descendents. This was the same Romeo as from back then. This was his true self, as Valentin had come to know from countless angles.

"We are leaving. Valentin and I. You found your own way out here, so I presume you have your own way back. Take it."

They were orders that were not orders, as the captains were accustomed to giving each other: Romeo turned to Valentin in search of his approval. With the cerulean jewels staring deep into the seeker’s otherworldly eyes, Valya understood.

"Valya. Se ti senti minacciato, vieni. If you feel threatened, please come." Extending his hand towards the seeker, Romeo’s eyes shone as hard and true as blue diamonds. "Sto bene. Non mi hai fatto del male. Ma per favore, vieni con me. Sono preoccupata per te. I'm alright. You didn't hurt me. But please, come with me. I'm worried for you."

Who knows how you are serving that creature’s needs now. Young dreamer, teenage Valentin, the would-be immortal king who was made a fool by his own naïveté for believing in true love… echoed the words of Sergei in Valentin’s mind. Breathing in deeply, the quicksilver seeker took a moment to look over the mysterious figure who had lured him deep into the expanse of untrodden snow with his beguiling cries. This boy had promised him his heart’s desire, charming and drawing him in closer with the words Valentin had always longed to hear, and only seconds after pulling him from the wilds directly into his arms. Wasn’t it all too good to be true? What was different now between the lake spirit from Hogwarts and this potential snow nymph? Valentin had always loved the thrill of going fast, but his bones remembered the reality of a crash even when his stubborn mind refused to listen to reason.

Val wanted to believe it. He wanted true love, transcendental connection, unending mutual devotion. He wanted these so badly that he would give everything for them. Yet, something in Sergei’s words rang true. He had been acting crazy. Something was wrong with him and he wasn’t seeing straight. Here, now, the one who had been shedding blood, sweat, and tears with Valentin for years was telling him he was worried. Nodding his head, Valentin decided he had to learn from his past mistakes. He trusted Romeo-- trusted him with his life, his heart, and even his very soul. Repeating what befell him by the lakeside would not only affect Valentin, like Sergei said. Others needed him. Romeo was here. Valentin could not afford to die, could not afford to lose himself in the seductive embrace of this platinum haired natural beauty who had mysteriously said all the right things. Yet, a fragment of disbelief still dug into the back of his mind like a thorn. There was something not quite right about Sergei’s insistence… and even if this alleged Gellert was a creature bent on tempting and then devouring him alive, Valentin still intended to return him respect and even admiration.

“It is dangerous here. The risk of avalanche is high, and I think you should leave. Return to the castle where it is safe.”

The seeker’s frigid hand dove into a pocket and emerged to press an oval of hot metal into Gell’s palm. Squeezing the potential monster’s hand and smiling back at him, love returned to Valentin’s eyes.

“I believe in you. You are beautiful. There is truth in you. If you believe in me, then you will find me again… the real me, without limits.”

Releasing his grip on Gellert’s hand, Valentin would part with the broom compass he had been carrying with him. If this had all been real, and “Gellert” was not a dangerously capricious creature who would take everything from him and then dump him as casually as a burned-out candle, they could meet again within the wards of Durmstrang castle. If this was indeed a snow sprite that could bring down the forces of nature if Valya did not bend to his will, then such a being would have no more use for his compass than any other curious human trinket. Yet, it would be nigh impossible for a Durmstrang student to fail to find their way back to the castle while holding it. For all the beauty he had shown Valentin this day, the seeker gave “Gell” this gift with genuine affection.

“I believe you will fulfill your heart’s truest wish. It’s not hard to find me if you are in need. Call upon me when I can help make your dream come true.”

Then, rising to his feet, Valentin beamed. This Gell had shown him tantalizing reminders of Valentin’s long-lost dream, warming the seed of hope buried deep under layers of ice. Maybe, just maybe, Valentin could one day have his wish granted, too.

Turning and walking away, Valentin took Romeo’s outreached left hand with his scarred right palm and forefingers, letting the other pull him into position on Hugo’s old Oakshaft 79. Holding on tight to the black wolf fur lining Romeo’s cloak across his abs, Valentin readied for launch. Laying his head on the other’s back, Valentin’s eyes looked back at the boy he was not sure was the true Gellert. If it had all been a beautiful deception, Valentin would still be grateful, but if it really and truly was Gell, then this would not be the end.

Basic Stats:
STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 20 [24] - ARC 1 - ACC 17

Abilities:
Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Languages: Parseltongue & Veela

@Tristan Theramin (Gellert Schroeder)

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

OOC Date: June 19th Mentioning/Interacting: Open to any Durmstrang student @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin Schnell @Piérre Marchonnéas Romeo Giovanni Marchonné Languages: German English Russian French Outfit/Physical Characteristics: Reducio Winter clothes, Durmstrang uniform Silver hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheekbones Age: 15 Location: Durmstrang IC Date: 01/26/2024

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂ Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer

Patience

xxxxxWith surprise and fear, Gellert heard the fierce protection of the other, declaring itself against him. There was no choice but to remove his hand and step away for a moment. There was desperation clawing its way from deep within his heart, as he could not help but fear that the One would be forever lost in time as he believed the One could be. The One could be destined to meet and yet also destined to never see one another again. This Romeo would keep him away from Len in protection and so Gellert would beg the other for forgiveness and restitution if only he could see Len again.

xxxxxHe lowered his head in a solemn bow, "My sincere apologies, please forgive me. Please forgive me." Tears were forming in his eyes, and they started to fall as he imagined that he had forever lost his chance to keep and to hold the One. He wanted a different destiny than this present one. He desired deeply in his soul for the destiny of being with his One forever. Gellert was lost in a swirl of emotion as the fear of losing the One overpowered him and strangled him deeply. His breath quickened and time froze. He begged for mercy from the gods and wished for a respite from the pain. He had gained his one and he would lose him in one day. The transcendental moment where Len and Val's souls had aligned would forever be a memory rather than a living testament to their continuing connection.

xxxxxHe should let destiny take its course, but as Gellert breathes in and out, he cannot accept the fate that the gods have given him and he gains the passion to beg or to fight. "Please, I need him. He promised me that he would help me find my dreams. I need him. I would do anything for him. Please, I don't plan to hurt him. I never planned to hurt him. I cannot live without him. I came upon this solemn winter hill dying and he refreshed me to life and I need him like a man without water. Please, let me prove my worth to you. I need him. I need him. I NEED HIM." Gellert would not fight if Len decided to leave, but Gellert needed him and would gladly beg and plead his case for a chance to have him. When he heard Len confess that something has been wrong with him for a while, Gellert looked straight up at him with a course of great worry strumming through his veins and it was seen through the pain in his eyes. Gellert looked and desired to show his need for Len and his extreme love for him through his gaze. Although he dare not move with the wand of Romeo threatening danger, he hoped that his desperation would be seen through his face, that everything that had just happened was real, and now he needed Len more than he needed anything else in the world.

xxxxx"I cannot live without you, Len, please, if I go, I will be lost forever in the winds of time and be a dead man walking. Please let me come with you." He gasped when Len pressed an object into his hand, he looked down, and it was a compass, and Gellert was overcome with emotion once more and he sobbed.

xxxxx"I do not desire to have to find you once more. I have found you and I need you. Please don't leave. Please, Len. I am begging you, please let me follow you. Let me prove to you that I never meant you harm, that mystically, you gave me exactly as I desired and now I am forever bound to you. I cannot move on from this moment. There is something within me that longs for it to continue and I cannot bear it. I cannot express this yearning beyond the three simple words that I need you, but it is something more. It is something beyond need and hunger. It is as if I shall die if you go. I was a dying man without water and you are water to my parched lips and now that I have tasted you I can never turn back. Please, I am begging both of you, please. I do not mean either of you harm. I have had my dreams answered by Valentin and now I cannot return to the sorry man I was before."

xxxxxHe saw the love that was in the eyes of Valentin and he yearned for it forever, He desperately could not part from this and if he had a choice he never would. There was no choice but to fight for it if he had to. He could not bear it any longer when the other sweetly replied, "I believe you will fulfill your heart's truest wish." Gellert's emotions burst through and he exclaimed with sobs, "You are my truest wish. You answered my heart's deepest desire. Please, do not leave. Please. Please. Please. If there is anyway, let me stay forever by your side."

xxxxxHe sunk to the ground and begged and begged. When Valentin turned away and walked towards the broom, Gellert had a rush of passion within him and he cast a spell, "Rictusempra" on the one who was stealing his one away and he rushed towards Len and sunk to his needs begging, "Please, let me go with you. Please, I cannot leave this place without you. Nothing else matters anymore except you. Please don't go. Please don't leave. Please don't leave me alone. I need you. I need you. I need you. I screamed into the sky and you appeared as of an angel and saved me out of my misery. I need you forever and I do not want you to leave me. Please, do not leave me. Please do not leave me. Please do not leave me." His words trailed away as he began sobbing, his eyes turning red with pain.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

My eyes narrowed slightly as Valentin's confession that he had 'not been alright for a while' and a small furrow formed between my brows in thought. In a moment, I tried to review every significant thing that had happened in the past few weeks concerning Valentin and then extended that timeframe into months and then into a year and a half. I remembered a lot more than I'd had liked to remember, actually. The bookstore incident, the fall ball, the game of spin the bottle as well as the other troubling incident of Valentin's confession to me of another that had indirectly and accidentally resulted in his extreme concussion that had rendered him with a serious cognitive dissonance... and then the event of my brother and his stupid prank that had resulted in... events that I had no desire to recall for the sake of the shame associated with it due to my unnecessary wrath. Not to mention the discovery of the likely identity of my father, which had resulted in a rather sour meeting of him later in that year. All of this, of course, were events that had happened after tumultuous waters between Valentin and I anyhow... but Valentin had been acting more strangely than usual seemingly within the span of this year in particular. Before these events I had been able to at least confidently predict how he would act, how he was apt to conduct himself and understand the reasons as to why. I was more than certain there were more proofs or instances I could consult, but these were the greatest once that first fluttered to my mind in the first few instances of consideration of a new thought.

These were in addition to the times that Valentin seemed to be almost crestfallen for no particular reason--crestfallen in the way as if to indicate a pining after something unspoken. It was typical Valentin nature to not speak too much about himself (likely because he felt that if he did so he couldn't hear the voices or see the souls of others as well), but in recent months it had become more intense, almost relentlessly intense when hybridized with the faltering of his physical health that I had been trying to monitor and assist with in the same time span. A manic obsession at every turn, as if it were a capitalization of his former nature of obtaining any shiny or sentimental thing that he judged as much. Obsessions that sent him into these episodes of mania he could not seem to shake as he clutched to the newest thing he held onto while deeply staring into the seeming nothing. When these moments seemed to waver, such crestfallen activity seeded with continued staring occurred. He had made so much progress in the past... I hadn't wanted him to slip despite seeing how much he was slipping now. Trifles became small battles, but just barely enough to allow relative continued overall health despite these manic-depressive like swings.

Ultimately this was all to say that I knew something was wrong now, and his words just now had only convinced me further of that fact. If Valentin himself was saying it, and I had even just now started to find strange irregularities in his personality pattern, then it was more than likely that such assessment was true. It was something that would have to be looked into, kept an eye upon. But now we couldn't get into such matters. Just as Valentin also said just moment later, the mountains were likely not to be trusted to remain secure. As gorgeous as virgin snow was, I was not one who wanted to end up suffocated beneath it, even if I had a large body that had a decent chance of being buoyed upwards if I had the right mixture of luck and strategy: for certain someone the likes of Valentin or this other person would find themselves hard pressed to come across the luck aspect regardless of how well they tried to handle themselves in the moment.

Valentin had on average far more tact than I myself did, and he found himself unbothered by the need to fly off right away on the Oakshaft in my other hand. Perhaps it was a grace that he was tactful enough to be polite during departures as vicious as these, a certain delicate charm that he had in being able to properly say goodbyes and even give a gift to the one that I had so much almost instant animosity for. I let Valentin do as he needed, attempting to grant the two of them a moment in private conversation by at least looking away and turning slightly away from where their goodbyes were being had. The crunching of Valentin's feet on snow allowed me to take his hand carefully and then guide him in the first few steps picking down slippery snow so that I could find a spot to command the broom up and get us both mounted upon it.

But it was the subsequent raw cries of the same one that Valentin had just departed after said departure that almost instantly made the muscles between my shoulders tense. My hand tightened ever so slightly in Valentin's as I heard each word fall from the other's lips. The flavoring of the words alone registered in my mind as so akin to Valentin but with a familiar and strange undertone of melodramatics that I barely found myself able to not outright groan aloud in exhaustion.

Gently releasing Valentin, I spun around to face him, my broom and wand hand at my side. "There's no need for you to apologize when it's a matter of a choice being made and finding yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time." I said calmly but sternly, feeling the cold wind snake its way beneath my cloak and sending it rippling like a crimson flag in the bone chilling freeze. My eyes were still hard-set and my jaw tight despite a determined softness in the core of my stance that only a choice few knew existed in the midst of the harsh glare and imposing posture. "Valentin has found many dreams of people, and those that he has done such for we would defend him with more than our lives. I have no doubt in my mind that you wouldn't try to hurt him. Not on purpose, anyways."

I continued to stand, as like a sentinel--not refusing Valentin to make his own choices or speak his own words in the matter. Simply standing, simply being as like a frozen obelisk. "But desperation is a terrible thing. Desperate need... is a terrible and blinding thing that is not confined in consequence to one person alone." My lips pressed into a thin line as my heart tightened with the feeling of my twin pressing himself so tightly into my breast that I thought he would crush the breath from me. We had only been seven. He had been so scared, hadn't known what was going on. I had. I had because I was mature enough to know, to understand what would happen to us at least to the comprehension level of a child. "Consequences that could hurt people if it's brought out here..." I threw both my arms out to indicate the air and the landscape and us in it before lowering them again and gently tapping my forehead over one of my brows. "As opposed to being properly confronted in here."

"You can come with us all you like, but you cannot come by the same means of travel. My broom only has room for two." I said calmly, very quickly putting aside the memories that were no more needed. "But if you fear you are lost, learn to find yourself." Perhaps it was a bit harsh in concept. "Dead men do not walk except when they have no souls and are at the mercy of their puppet master. Therefore, I think you live. And living men can carve their own destinies--make their twisting and lost paths home. You are no more lost than your own mind commands you be."

My shoulders lowered a bit as I shook my head. "And I don't think that your mind has allowed you to see that yet." Whatever it was that had conjured this spirit out of this boy, that had caused sin-eater Valentin to come to him, it was something deeper than merely the surface of what I could see. Potentially it was even deeper than what Valentin could see. This was not the heart of it, was not everything. "Your limit, the thing crippling you most right now, is yourself. Not that we are leaving for the safety of the castle as you should and the coincidence that Valentin is coming with me."

I stared at him silently for a little while longer before shaking my head and turning away. The words, while beautiful, had a deep and echoing sadness behind them--a hollowness that while could be truly emotionally genuine I did not find in myself to accept as being totally the root of his pain. When it came to the many and myriad griefs of man, what first appeared rarely was all that was to be beheld. I was simply ready to offer to break this off for now until a better time to unpack such things could come to light, ready to offer that he could come with so that we could ensure safe passage for all three of us. I could do no more, could promise no more.

Light catching on the snow caught my eye as being unnatural for the way that the natural sunlight would strike it, and with a sudden instinctual reaction I dove for the left and down, the snow splashing up all around me as a powerfully gleaming silvery-lit spell kicked up snow just beyond me. Scrambling to my feet and recovering my bearings before me, I was in time to watch the stranger drop to his knees before Valentin as a spout of pleading and begging that pushed the nature of his speech over the edge from melodramatics into sheer pathetics complete with weeping.

In an instant--as my hand tore off the clasp that secured my cloak to eliminate an element easy to grab and manipulate me by--my feet dug beneath me as the crouching runners pose I had found myself in transformed into a full wolflike lunge: my entire body reaching out as spine extended fully, my arms went to receive, and body prepared to tackle and pin. Everything had been fine up to this moment, everything up to now I was able to take and accept as a normal and human reaction that was easily dismissible or forgivable--but now the gloves were off and he had gleefully incurred it.

My wild throwing of my own body was haphazard, but I was hoping that I would be able to make contact even despite the wild swing. I was angry enough for it, anyways. He had deliberately ignored my instructions, and what was worse he had decided it was a good idea to swing at me.

Turnabout was fair play--I was going to swing Martial Artist Punch [18 + 3 (MC) + 2 (Punch) - 1 (Charmer) = 22] = d20(4) + 22 = 26 Accuracy at him. It was a blow that, if I did make good on contact feel free to roll Evasive Maneuvers I and Evasion, Gell, or whatever you want for this would likely be much more damaging than one would initially think [20 + (20x0.15 = 3) =] (23*100*0.9)/5 = 414 damage. As I had said... I did not fire warning shots. My warning had been the warning shot, and now the one who had decided to poke the bear was getting the teeth. Beginning to scrabble in the snow regardless of hit or miss, I was ready to take out his legs and subdue him entirely. His lack of ability to simply cooperate had indicated that I was now permitted to use whatever force necessary to ensure the safety of Valentin and myself. "If you know what's good for you..." I grunted as I tried to get myself into a position of superior wrestling advantage. "You'll stop acting a fool and simply do as I told you to do!"

And I took that job very very seriously indeed.

A colddrake’s heart is frigid, but not because it is empty – rather, this is because it is so full. It is like a black hole with a temperature near absolute zero. Absorbing every form of energy, even light, one might think that such intense devouring would make its core temperature rise, but the more supermassive the black hole, the colder its heart. Such a core is colder than even the background of outer space surrounding it, but at the event horizon – the point where nothing can escape its clutches – it is indeed incredibly hot. Only at a very particular central angle would a black hole’s heart release its plunder back into the universe, and the intensity of that focused beam – the ejection from a quasar – may be thousands of times more luminous than all of the Milky Way galaxy. Like a black hole, a colddrake shrinks when it is not able to consume more than it gives, ultimately ending in total evaporation. However, while the beast is able to feed well, all that is pulled in and feasted upon makes the colddrake ever, ever colder.

Valentin’s amethyst gaze fell upon Gellert as the pair of blue-eyed boys exchanged words, one begging and the other denying. Feeling the tightening of Romeo’s hand in his, Val’s stare hardened like a freezing lake while a prickling like frost spikes shot through every vein as adrenaline. Something so basic as this felt as powerful as an armed three megaton bomb. It was ecstasy. Yet, this hold proved fleeting as the conversation continued on and Romeo's hand slipped away when he turned.

Watching as the potential snow sprite that called himself Gellert approached, Valentin soaked in the ache of the other's pleas. The more intense the emotions electrifying the air, the smoother Valentin’s face became in meditative relaxation until it was as cool as milky marble. The clear anguish of the blonde resonated through Valentin’s pain-eating heart unabated by Romeo’s rebuffs, and Valentin did not interrupt the flow of words between them.

Consequences to be dealt with internally, as opposed to externally… Valentin knew what the beater was saying. They both knew each other better than anyone else. For as steely as was his co-captain’s demeanor, this was the color of composure and inner grace that characterized Romeo’s compassionate spirit. He spoke plainly, honestly, with Gellert’s wish in mind as he explained the shackles of limitation he saw preventing its fulfillment. As gruffly as this was worded, Romeo was naturally connecting with Valentin’s clear wish for Gellert to find his way, but in the Italian’s own complementary style. Throughout the rest of the conversation, Romeo was no less than a completion, an extension of Valentin himself as each word resonated through the unified message of both captains.

Valentin’s heart rate lowered as he sank deeper into the crucible of the exchange, feeling the movement of his intuition and empathy flickering through him in the many colors of emotion. Truly Gellert ached and yearned for his One. Valentin was simply not sure that Gell was wishing for him, exactly as Val really was, or if Gellert was simply hoping to fill a void with any interchangeable person. Wasn’t that the way nature spirits worked, capriciously tempting passersby of curious and compassionate dispositions into their clutches before using them up and discarding them? What was it about this ‘Len’ that made him the One, as opposed to anyone else who could have answered his siren call? There was no doubt in Valya’s mind that Gellert’s longing was indeed burning torturously – he felt this as if every pang were his own. Yet, the desperation spoke more of its keeper’s hunger than anything particular about Valentin. The Frost Captain understood Gell’s need, and remained committed to his instinct to help the boy fulfill his wish. However, he also understood that a man dying of thirst would drink down muddy brine as readily, as sweetly, as the mead of the gods. If Gellert were ever to truly unify with his One, he would still have to do as Valentin advised and come to know what such a One really was.

‘Let me prove my worth to you,’ he offers… It was a fair request, and the captain never intended to deprive Gellert of what he needed. The real question was, regardless of what the platinum haired boy said he needed, what would truly fulfill Gellert’s greatest wish? It was the Champion’s duty to see, to understand, what would bring ultimate victory to his people no matter what notions frolicked like daydreams lofting in a summer breeze. The captain’s power was not to follow orders, but to fulfill the mission of the wish itself.

Valentin saw love in the other’s eyes, but love for what exactly, and why? Was it the love of a carnivore about to sink his teeth into a delicious fleshy body, was it as Gellert seemed to suggest as raw emotional thirst, or did it actually relate to Valentin as to claim him and necessarily deprive others of his power? Even for one as fast as the white lightning, Valentin could only be in one place at any point in time.

He says he does not desire to find me once more, as if he does not want to use the compass and does not want the challenge required by seeking higher truths. He lacks patience, the way any desperate soul believes there is no more time. I believe he wants to be saved from the misery that brought him to screaming out here, and I want to save him. I intend to save him, to grant that wish. I do not know if I myself am the answer to this wish, however. Anyone might be better for him than me, whom I think he has only begun to fathom.

Gellert sank to the ground, begging and crying, but in the very first moment Valentin turned to walk away a spellburst like wrath shot from the blonde’s wand. It was not the selfishness of Gellert’s need that bothered Valentin, who wanted to fulfill such desires. The issue was that he shot at Romeo, and that was not acceptable.

Despite missing his target and sobbing into the deep snow, Gellert had opened up a new world of pain for himself. As Romeo recovered from diving out of the way of the spell, Valentin took up a stance ready to protect his co-captain with his very life. Of course, the 7’ beater was no push-over either and could handle himself just as well as Valentin in their own respective wheelhouses. As soon as Gellert chose physical violence, he had stepped into Rome’s.

The red-haired giant tore towards the cowering spellcaster, as Valentin knew he would. Romeo had warned him, but Gellert disregarded the gesture and deliberately flew in the face of it. Now the beater’s meaty fist swung at him and struck true, the way the devoted athlete had been training for over the course of years. [ACC 26 vs. EVA 1d20:10+10=20; EM:6; HIT] The beauty of the punch’s arc showed the patience Romeo had been applying through each workout, through each training session, through each emotional struggle that such attainments required. The beater had treated his body like a temple, building it up and maintaining it as an elite sportsman to ensure that it could fulfill its wielder’s purpose when called upon. Now the full brunt of this Italian tower crashed into Gellert’s tear-streaked face, and with a sickly crunch Gell fell, slammed into the snowbank without mercy. [HP: 1000-414=586]

Still Romeo was not done, for as Gellert was still recovering from the tremendous blow to his head, the beast fell upon the other’s collapsed body and crouched over him from a position of gravitational advantage, read to pin him to the earth if there was any struggle. From beneath, Gellert tried to roll to the side in preparation for another hit, looking up at Valentin with wide, questioning eyes.

Indeed, the seeker was already right there beside Romeo, moving just as quickly alongside him into position as if flying wing-to-wing. As the massive cathedral of muscle and fury that was Romeo blotted out the sky above Gellert, Valentin stood quietly gazing down into the blonde’s blue-green eyes. He could feel the mood of his martial artist counterpart, just as he drank in the pain he felt empathically draining from the damage to Gell’s face. Sliding his bare right palm into Romeo’s hair as the beater remained hunched like a guardian wolf over the bloodied aggressor, Valentin languidly combed through handfuls of the messy red locks with pure affection. As Gellert looked up at him, Valentin’s amethyst eyes contained no less affection than when he had been the one on top of Gell. If anything, Valya’s expression seemed even more loving as he stared deeply into Gellert from above.

“I feel your suffering as my own. I know your longing, just as I yearn and toil and burn every day and every night. You seek to end your suffering, and you wish for One to share your soul with. I know you want these very much, just as I want these to come true for you. Please remember that there are also others with fierce wishes, and they too need power and wisdom to attain their dreams. If you would claim me as your ‘One,’ others would no longer have me as they do now. My power needs to be channeled – focused in a singular direction – to be powerful enough to grant a worthy wish, so it is good and right to want this.” Valentin’s fingers reached the end of another sweep through Romeo’s hair, coming to rest delicately on the back of the boy’s neck where they spread across its great arch.

“Why is it me that you would claim, when so many others might be better at making your dream come true? Surely any number of humans could fulfill you as a partner, probably in common, normal ways that are not in my nature.” Sighing, Valentin’s eyes slipped away from Gellert’s pools of sea green as they turned to trace the profile of Romeo’s face. If only one pure of heart would not only summon him from his wishfire, but finally pull Valentin from his long journey down to rest within his earthy home. No, not just anyone...

Romeo said ‘living men can carve their own destinies--make their twisting and lost paths home.’ We spoke before of making our own destiny. I do believe blaming failure on fate is too often a poor excuse, sparing one’s ego the harsh truth of one’s errors. Have I been so arrogant, too obstinate to accept that seer’s warning about my biggest limitation? Like Gellert, perhaps my self-imposed limits are affecting others, just as Romeo was saying. Isn’t the unspoken price of victory just as the serpent of Akbugha said in my dream…

“You bind yourself with limits,” channeled Valentin, amethyst eyes piercing back into Gellert’s. “Weaving a prison for your own mind, you deny yourself your own transcendence.” Valentin’s hand slipped from Romeo’s neck, and his eyes burned as if illuminated from within. “Why?” Squinting, as if asking both Gellert and himself the same question, the seeker raised his pale hand to touch the temple behind his own right eye while pain rippled behind it. It hurt like stepping out of a deep darkness directly into the light of day. “I have to… go… home…”

‘If you know what's good for you… You'll stop acting a fool and simply do as I told you to do… do as I told you to do…’

“My fear of this power… has been my limitation…”

Kneeling down beside him in the snow, Valentin’s stare commanded the return of Romeo's cerulean gaze. This will free Gellert. This will free Romeo. I will free them both by first liberating myself.

Valentin’s palm glistened in spiderweb-like scars as it turned, its fingers slowly splaying as they took Romeo’s face into their contours. Pulling, slowly and without ever breaking his interlocking gaze, Valentin guided Romeo by the jaw to where he knelt. Chest pulsing in the type of controlled, slow rhythm that would ensure any sniper hit their mark, Valentin dug into the deepest reaches of Romeo’s black pinprick pupils.

“Listen to me, Gellert. To unite with the One, you must let everything – everything – go.”

Leaning forward, Valentin laid his soft pink lips to Romeo’s. While freezing cold, their pressing force was at once soft enough to spare the most fragile of red roses damage, but also insistent with a will that could – at the slightest provocation – devour him alive.

Sitting back with nothing but the most still, serene chill anyone had ever seen in his amethyst eyes, Valentin exhaled: “I wish for Romeo. I wish for him, and no other.”

Lingering for a long moment in a blinkless stare, Valentin’s face froze as solemn and expressionless as a statue. Time slowed, and breathing became audible with each rhythmic rush of air. A clod of snow then fell from a nearby evergreen, attracting the bolt of Valentin’s lightning strike gaze with a flare of his eyelashes.

“Do not strike at Romeo again. This is my only warning.”

Standing up and stretching his back, Valentin extended his hand down to Gellert in an offer to help him to his feet. Then, turning back to Romeo, Valya reached out once more. Snaking his hand around the other's bulging bicep, Valentin squeezed once and jerked his head towards the castle.

“Take me home, Bogatýr.” [epic hero (Tatar deriv.)*

Dusting the snow from his knees, Valentin rolled his wrist as if preparing to mount a broom for a long flight.

“We can walk you out of here until you see the castle, Gellert, but you must enter it under your own power.” Unwilling to endanger the other occupants of Durmstrang, both those he loved and those he had not yet met, Valentin would reject any proposition of completing the journey together. If the boy was truly a dangerous snow sprite, Valentin had to think of his people first. If he were instead the true Gellert, then Valentin believed his offer should suffice.

Basic Stats:
STA 8 - EVA 20 - STR 3 - WIS 20 [24] - ARC 1 - ACC 17

Abilities:
Keen Eye / Charmer / Evasive Maneuvers / Fearless / Comprehend Languages: Parseltongue & Veela

@Tristan Theramin (Gellert Schroeder)

*With Romeo’s improved understanding of the Russian language and general association with its accompanying Slavic culture (frequently experienced at Durmstrang), it’s very likely that he knows the meaning of this word from its use in basic folk stories

As stated in other threads, blanket permission to godmod Valentin Schnell is given to Romeo’s narrator in perpetuity. Godmods here follow OOC descriptions I received from the respective players.

Reducio

Image rendered by Romeo

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂██████████████꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂

OOC Date: June 19th Mentioning/Interacting: Open to any Durmstrang student @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood as Valentin Schnell @Piérre Marchonné as Romeo Giovanni Marchonné Languages: German English Russian French Outfit/Physical Characteristics: Reducio Winter clothes, Durmstrang uniform Silver hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheekbones Age: 15 Location: Durmstrang IC Date: 01/26/2024

꧁༒☬•••••☬༒꧂ Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer

Patience

xxxxx The sobbing ceased when he was hit and in that moment, Gellert was struck with clarity. His sobbing stopped, he looked upon the two of his peers in front of him, and he understood. There was a rationality in his eyes that was not there before. He looked upon the person he was in the past and realized that, like a dying man, he only yearned to free himself from pain, free himself from the ache that pounded in his soul. Although he had found his One, he could not guarantee that he was in the right mind, that his desperate pain had not influenced his yearning and enchanted him in a manner that a dying man could only experience.

xxxxx The high of life could enchant his soul and tear him asunder, leading him astray without rational explanation. He understood now what Romeo and Valentin had desired to share with him. He looked up and he understood. He dare not choose now when there were consequences beyond his own. He dare not choose when he was feeling the emotional high of drinking water once more when he had been in a drought, what he had thought to be an unending one. A dying man would drink water even if it was poisoned if he was convinced he would perish either way.

xxxxx He understood now and so he would listen to the words that the others had provided him. Yes, Gellert would seek to find truth on his own and when he returned, he would be able to guarantee that he had not chosen Len out of a thirst but because of true unity, that it was not an enchantment of emotion, but a choice and a dedication to forever love and cherish the other as much as Len forever would. Len would love desperately, would love, perhaps, at the destruction of others. It was a choice that Gellert would have to make and he understood that to leave now, and to make his way back to the castle on his own, to find his own way, to find clarity upon a path that only he could take, was the right path.

xxxxxHe allowed Len's amethyst gaze to meet his own and when the other's stare hardened, Gellert nodded, conveying his understanding of the deep and profound nature of that stare, that he understood what Len desired for him. Gellert's mouth opened and he breathed in and his eyes were filled with wisdom that glowed in the winter sky. He would find his path and he would learn his way. When he would return to Len, it would be with a certainty that he was choosing Len as a person not as water to a dying man. He was certain of this and he could not help but be in awe of the beauty of the other's words. There was wisdom in the words that Len and Romeo gave and he understood now, in this gentle moment of beauty.

xxxxxTime seemed to have frozen in this moment as clarity opened his eyes and the blindness of emotion washed away. He had come here in pain. Len had rescued him and now it was Gellert's turn to find his own way and perhaps help others find their dreams. If time confirmed what he had felt was certain moments ago, he would return to Len with a promise that this love was forever, that this love was not for a balm for pain, but for the beautiful soul and wise human that embraced him today. There was silence in the air around him as the cold condensed his breath and carried it away. He breathed in and he understood. He was to find his own path and seek his dream for the one. If it was meant to be, the stars would let him return to Len and nothing would separate that love. If it was not meant to be and his love was only for the healing that the other young man provided, only a desperate love for a drink, then the stars would allow them to find their paths, paths that were the best for them.

xxxxxIf the stars let them meet once more then he would not love because he wanted to be saved from misery, no he would love Len and Len alone, choose him as a person, choose him because he was the One. There was hope here and an understanding that would never fade away. There was a hope here that the stars would allow them once more to meet. The physical blow that had shot him to the ground had awakened his mind to this new point of view and he could never return back to the previous one. There was no turning back now. He would stand and promise this to the other. He would show the other that he would make sure that he was choosing Len because he was who he is, not just a saviour for his pain, not just a person that would be thrown away. Gellert began to push himself up, his head ringing yet clear, his blood rushing through to the place he was hit, though he wavered physically, he was strengthened in his heart and in his mind.

xxxxxHe pushed through and stood. He stood and he listened to the words of Len that confirmed what he had realized in the moment of the blow and after. He listened, and he agreed wholeheartedly with the beautiful and cutting words that the other offered him. He understood. "I feel your suffering as my own. I know your longing, just as I yearn and toil and burn every day and every night. You seek to end your suffering, and you wish for One to share your soul with. I know you want these very much, just as I want these to come true for you. Please remember that there are also others with fierce wishes, and they too need power and wisdom to attain their dreams. If you would claim me as your 'One,' others would no longer have me as they do now. My power needs to be channeled - focused in a singular direction - to be powerful enough to grant a worthy wish, so it is good and right to want this."

xxxxxHe looked into Len's eyes and offered his whole heart. He answered, "Yes... I understand now. I understand now what I have never understood before. I understand now that you desire the best for me that you truly desire for me to attain my dreams and that you understand me wholly. I understand now that I must go now and seek my dreams. If I meet you again. I will come with the certainty that I have chosen you, not as a balm for my pain, not as a drink of water for a dying man in a desert, not as an antidote to poison, but that I have chosen you, Valentin Schnell, that I have chosen you with all its consequences and joys. If I meet you again, I, Gellert Schroeder, will come with the certainty that I have claimed you as my own, you as a person, not as a solution to my pain, to my sorrow, or to my longing." There was a certainty in Gellert's mind and soul. This was indeed the right path and if indeed Len was the One as Gellert truly desired, he would go through any trial to fully understand what that means. "I will undergo any trial until I understand who the One is and what the One is, so that if I meet you again, I will come with the certainty that you are the One. I will undergo any pain that is needed to understand what it means to claim you as One, and what it means to share your soul." He promised this with his whole heart and it was demonstrated through the earnestness of his voice and the calmness of his constitution. This was not the cry of a dying man wishing to appease the other. This was his full conviction and he desired to do what he promised. His word was his bond and now that he had said these words, he would do his best to fulfill this promise, whether in sickness or in health, whether in happiness or sadness, or even death. In the end, he would understand who the One is and when or if he saw Len again, he would be choosing him with all his heart rather than his emotions.

xxxxxHe would choose Len with his whole body, soul, heart, and life. He would choose him under the stars and in the presence of all. He would choose Len understanding all the consequences of what that meat. He would be choosing Len and though his power would be kept from others, he would be choosing Len because Gell was certain that he was the one. Val asked a wise question, “[color= 00008a]Why is it me that you would claim, when so many others might be better at making your dream come true? Surely any number of humans could fulfill you as a partner, probably in common, normal ways that are not in my nature.[/color]” Gellert knew the answer why, deep within his heart. It was because Gellert had that same possessive spirit within him, a spirit of love that hungered more the other gave. He had always been this way, always dreaming as a child of being the other half of someone’s soul in this way.

xxxxxThe other loves of people, the normal ways of love, as Len described it, would never be enough in a way, for Gellert Schroeder. He had always known that and perhaps that was why when he met Len, he had felt within his heart and mind that the other was a kindred spirit that also did not understand any other love than one that is transcendental and ever taking. He had been desperate for it and that was what led him to this snow bank and what led him to his desperate cries. Now, now that Gellert had tasted the kindness and love of Len, he understood now that he would go now in this moment, and when he returned to Len, he would be certain of this more than he was ever before, and that he would choose Len again and again over everyone else and everything else in the world. He is certain of this. He prophesied his own destiny, cementing this desire into reality and future. He will create this self-fulfilling prophecy and when he would return, when the stars let him return, he would chose this person over and over again.
xxxxxThere would be no doubt of this. He would chose the One and know exactly what this would mean. He would let go of himself, his own desires, his own pain, his own fears, and all that would matter would be the Oneness that transcends to Allness as Len had described in the moments before their kiss. He saw Valentin kiss Romeo and express his wishes. Gellert understood and allowed it to happen. Yes, this was for the greater good. Yes, this would leave him able to seek his own path and thus he would. When Valentin offered to take him to the point where the castle was visible, he nodded and answered, “Yes, I will enter the castle in my own power. Thank you, Len.”

xxxxxHe smiled and turned to the direction of the castle, patiently waiting for their departure. He was certain this was right and he was certain this was the way it was meant to be. He was certain of it deep down into his bowels, certain of it more than his life. His desire was to seek what was good for others and he knew that the advice and the questions that Len had given were the correct path. It was this way and it should be this way and it should forever be this way. It was beautiful answer that he had been seeking for and he was overcome with the peace that it offered him, enough that it made him close his eyes and breathe in the winter air gladly, with slight tears in his eyes. There was nothing else to do but follow this path until the end, to find the light at the end of the tunnel. This was his way and he would follow it. His human heart hoped to see Len again at the end of this journey but his spirit that drove him, sought something higher. Though this was but a moment in the path of his life, his eyes had been open in the time he had with the captain of the quidditch team and his eyes would forever be open.

xxxxxHe would undergo the joys and the hardships this path offered him and he would come through it with a vow of confirmation and conviction that Valentin Schnell was the One without any doubt. There was a freeing nature to this star bound event. He would return to this memory and be certain of this fact forever more. There is indeed a freeing nature to the greater good. Once he found his own path, he could return with the certainty that he would choose Len and it would be the greater good. It would be the greater good, yes it would. At this very moment, he was able to distinguish this, and he was awake for the first time in a long time. He did not know why or how the stars would write the future but in the bridge of this story that occurred today, he was certain this was the path the stars approved of.

xxxxxHis life had been forever struck by the transcendental experience that he had today, something that he had never expected, something that transcended physical existence. It felt as if this was fate, this was the fateful moment that he had waited for his entire life, an experience that existed beyond the mortal plane. He dared not hope that this moment would not end, as it meant that he could not undergo what he needed to undergo to come back to Len with a clean conscience and choice. This was a moment of clarity that exceeded the monotony and confusion of his pain and his life. There was no other answer but this and he was doubly certain of it now. He was certain of this more than anything else in the world. There was nothing else more worth it than following this path given to him by the stars and by Len, this Noble Path.

xxxxxTime stretched infinitesimally and allowed him this time of reflection. There was a beauty in being set free, he decided. There was a beauty here in this interaction, even the physical strike had its purpose beyond the physical realm. This had been a transcendent interaction that would be forever imprinted in his mind.