Bitter then Better
Date : October 26th, 2024 Color code : Written|Thought|Said Her breath was ragged, her stomach felt nauseous, and her vision began to blur. After a brief celebration of victory, with the remaining stamina Sere went out of the Duelling Club towards the Hospital Wings. The activity of going down the stairs -which she had been used to doing all day for more than a year- now felt more like a force for her weak legs. Only one floor down, Sere. C'mon!
The Gryffindor girl was currently controlled by her mind. She was indeed satisfied with the victory that her team had just achieved, but her thought in the final round was shifted to the girl from the opposing team. The Badgers who fought so hard alone, giving her best until the end of the match. When the knocked out girl was carried out by the mediwizards, Sere made up her mind to immediately follow and visit her.
Sere is not the type of person who can use her heart well, at least that's what she thought. The urge to make sure about the Badgers' condition was probably an order from inside her brain when a flash of similar memory suddenly came across by. It was definitely hard to survive as a team when an individual on the team was full of fear and chose to freeze on the piste.
The situation inside the Hospital Wings is quite packed. Sports day must have made the day of the mediwizards, nurses, and interns very busy. The British-Korean scanned around and searched for the familiar girl's face among the patients and found her on one of the beds. Sere immediately approached the right side of the bed, observed the girl while her left hand grabbing tight the headboard -trying to support her weak legs- muttered in a whisper, "Are you okay?"Mentioning : @Emily Shephard
Bitter then Better
October 26th 2024
Bruising Bonding with @Sere Nade
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
"Ngh... Oww..."
Sleep terminated the minute Emily felt the aches in her body as she slowly came to. Instead of the rock solid duelling arena that she had become acquainted with during the match, she was met with the soft cushiony mattress of the Hospital Wing bed beneath her sore back. Jeezums, of all the places Emily didn't expect to find herself here.
At the same time, she practically nearly broke her back trying to carry the rest of the Hufflepuff team and its pride. For a beginner, she didn't expect her first match to be as intense as she initially envisioned it. Maybe a few throwbacks but she didn't expect getting the Triple Finish of knockback jinxes by the entire Gryffindor team until she was literally blown out of the contest!
How many times did she get hit in the end trying to cover for her team? Emily lost count after maybe the third or fourth hit.
She sat up and already felt the tired aches in her lower back. Her legs felt weak and wobbly even though they were only resting and she still felt very tired.
This would be something to tell Scout tomorrow if and when she gets discharged. At least she didn't break a bone. Just her pride.
Suddenly she saw one of her Gryffindor opponents burst into the Hospital Wing like she had just seen a fire. She bolted over to Emily's side, concern painted across her face. Emily was quite taken aback by her that it took her a few seconds to respond to her.
"O-oh! I'm fine...! Nothing a little rest won't fix I think..." She laughed sheepishly. The last thing she remembered was hitting the ground hard the moment Hufflepuff lost the match. Hopefully her rival could see faith that she'd be out of bed before the day was over anyway.
"You're Sere, right? I must admit, you Gryffindor duellists pack quite the punch...!" Emily congratulated, her face and tone friendly despite all the action not too long ago.
"I think Hufflepuff could learn a few tricks from you lot...!" she laughed, even though it cost a groan when her body felt tender when she chuckled.
Word Count: 395
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Last edited by Emily Shephard on 28 Dec 2024, 16:46, edited 1 time in total.
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
Bitter then Better
Date : October 26th, 2024 Color code : Written|Thought|Said Sere breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the voice of the Badgers who was currently sitting on her bed. She could speak, meaning she was fine. She should be fine. Sere's understanding of the word 'fine' was a bit extreme indeed, thanks to her one year duellist experience that shaped her mindset. Sere snorted a small laugh, "Pretty hurt, wasn't it? I'm sorry for that." She was sure the Hufflepuff felt like her whole body was broke down. Even Sere herself, right now, experienced it too. A normal post-duel thingy. "Everything will be better in no time."
Sere blinked her eyes a few times, trying to regain her focus before saying, "Thank you for your nicest words. Yes, I'm Sere Nade. Mmm...." The girl mumbled in hesitant, "Sorry, but I don't think I know your name yet." Sere herself wondered why the moderator didn't mention the duellists' names at the beginning of the match. Dueling an 'I don't know what's her name' girl who targeted her perfectly, repeatedly since the beginning of the match was another new thing for her.
"You did your part very well until the end. Umm... not only yours, I think you did everyone's part so well during the match." She said it truly from deep inside her heart, and then added one pinch of joke, "Though I think you aimed me a little bit too much." Sere chuckled, followed by a groan and gritted teeth because of the pain stinging her entire body.
"How is it? Your first official duel, right? Did you enjoy it?" Sere had never met or seen this girl in an official duel, so her guess was that earlier was her first official duel.
Sere continued her question, "Anyway, do you need anything? You can tell me if you need something." Sere's legs still felt so weak, her heart was beating faster for some reason and her head spinning around. Maybe it was just a sign of exhaustion. After all, this was the first time Sere had finished an official duel with her eyes open.Interacting with : @Emily Shephard
Bitter then Better
October 26th 2024
Bruising Bonding with @Sere Nade
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
With all the punches and jinxes that the Gryffindor team dished out to her, she didn't expect the opponent - well, not so much an opponent anymore - in front of her to be so respectful and humble. Emily curved a smile at one end of her mouth as she appreciated being worried over. It was nice to see them on equal ground than on opposing sides in a duelling arena.
"Heh... You don't have to apologise. Signing up as a duellist, I should've been able to see it all coming. I guess I need to toughen up for the next time I get wiped out like that...!" Emily grinned, jesting at the last bit. She most certainly didn't want to go down with a meteor strike of knockback jinxes on top of her like the match she just had to endure, though she had come to the realisation that she did indeed need to build up some strength if she were to last a full year of duelling.
"Ah...! Sorry... I'm Emily. And maybe I did go a bit far targeting you..." She smiled. Being a rookie, she didn't think Sere would really know her all too well. Being a more seasoned duellist, Emily had banked on Sere giving her a challenge to truly test the limits of her own skills as a duellist herself - which she did, and then eventually the rest of the team did."
"And I think I handled that duel as well as I probably could have...! You guys certainly kept me on my toes, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it! It just means I need a bit more practice before the next season...!"
She felt her lower back throb as the aches there persisted when she shuffled about in her spot, sitting up some more before her slouching would hurt the rest of her back. She was grateful for everything Sere was willing to offer but their chat was more than enough distraction from the worst of the pain, which itself was more of a tender pulsing sensation than actual agony.
"So long as I'm able to remain comfy and rest, I should be able to recover quickly," the Huffie said.
Word Count: 401
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
Bitter then Better
Date : October 26th, 2024 Color code : Written|Thought|Said Emily. Roger that. Sere would take as much time as possible to observe and memorize the face and correlate the brown-haired girl with her name 'Emily' while talking to her. It wasn't difficult for Sere to remember people's names, neither to remember the faces; but combining the two could be a little bit complicated sometimes. It wouldn't be funny if she mistakenly called Emily using someone else's name. Sere massaged the back of her neck. For some reason, she found it difficult to memorize the face and also the voice of the girl in front of her right now. It's not that difficult, usually. There must be something wrong about me. Again, the only possible reason was because she was exhausted.
"Practicing... I am also still doing it, especially when the official duel is coming closer," Sere seemed to think for a moment, "Reading every information related to duelling spells from the textbook can also be helpful during the duel. Some of the students even reached the point where they could cast the next-year spells. Although I still don't feel capable to do that." The Gryffindor girl remembered the boy, duellist from Emily's team, that was managed to cast the petrifying spell on her teammate. "Are you guys all coming from the second-years too? I mean, you and your teammates..." If that's true, then the boy must be a prodigal.
"Glad to hear that you're enjoying the duel." Sere tightened her grip on the headboard, "I was afraid that you would take your first official duel as a bad experience. If so, a part of me would regre---" Sere felt her vision blur beyond normal, then everything suddenly turned white. Her left hand's grip on the headboard that was very tight, now felt weak and loosen up.
Everything was so fast, the girl suddenly fainted, falling onto the floor beside Emily's bed, creating a loud thud. Slowly, everything went dark. Ah, Sere had reached her limit to keep her consciousness. Luckily she fainted in a place where she could be treated immediately, right?Interacting with : @Emily Shephard
Bitter then Better
October 26th 2024
Bruising Bonding with @Sere Nade
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
As strange as it sounded, Emily was visibly relieved when Sere admitted to practicing outside of matches. Emily did as much as she could to prepare for her first game, getting her hands on every book of handy dandy spells for duelling and researching all she could to learn more about the etiquette and how to perform well. The trouble in the end was that there was no one for Emily to physically practice with and of course without that, learning how to successfully dodge and counterattack proved a lot to figure out for herself given the circumstances.
"Heh... I feel like one more day could've helped upped my chances in the end... Or at the very least lessen the blow of that final jinx!" she joked merrily. "Even still, I can't imagine being able to cast next year's spells... I mean, I'm proficient enough when it comes to charms but even I'm not that good as to get ahead into next year's curriculum...!"
That was quite impressive for whoever had the knowledge and talent to complete such a feat. It almost made Emily envious, though that could more than likely be boiled down to being a newbie on the sport. She reckoned with a lot more practice and keeping on ball with it, she could match her peers in that regard.
Still, if Nico had the power to do that, then where the heck was he during the match?? His head sure wasn't anywhere to be seen, that's for sure...
Suddenly Sere looked like the energy drained from her as she swayed sideways. Emily barely had any time to ask if she was alright before she just collapsed to the ground, her body landing harshly onto the floor like she was just dropped there. Emily gasped worriedly as she groaned to sit up in her bed. It took more groans when Emily threw her legs off the side of the bed as she lowered herself down to Sere, gently tapping her shoulders.
"Sere?? Sere...?! What's-- Shoot, what do I do...? Do I get the nurse or...??"
Emily was supposed to be the injured one and Sere watching out for her. Not the other way around! Emily looked around as she held Sere close to her. She could hobble and get help, but she didn't want to leave Sere unattended either.
"I... I think I need help here...! Someone...!"
Word Count: 430
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
Bitter then Better
Approaching @Sere Nade and @Emily Shephard in a hopeful attempt at helping the current situation
Simon was on shift. He got to the Hospital Wing, signed in, and was just finishing washing his hands when he hard someone calling out that help was needed. There were a lot in the Hospital Wing that particular day and Simon hurried into the main area of the room and looked around for who might have called out.
There was a student who seemed agitated, sitting up in their bed and another nearby looking down to the floor and Simon approached, seeing a girl on the floor as he did so. Oh no, he hoped she hadn't gotten injured in the fall down. "What happened?" Simon asked, recognizing the girl in the bed as Emily and unsure if she was the one needing help, the girl on the floor, or both.
His first reaction once he got to where the two girls were was to kneel down there by the fallen girl's side. He could at least tell that Emily was well enough to be talking and calling out for help. The other girl seemed to have fainted or gone unconscious and he was the first priority here when triaging the situation. He'd help her up if she began coming to, or he could lift her to the bed next to the Hufflepuff. Whatever it was that was preferred. Maybe it would be best to leave her there, but he needed to assess her. "Hey, hey, are you alright?" he asked the girl that was on the floor. Assessing whether someone was conscious and responding was one of the first steps of treatment.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
Bitter then Better
October 26th 2024
Bruising Bonding with @Sere Nade and @Simon Kincaid
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
The hell was Emily supposed to do?? Sere just collapsing like that... Wasn't she supposed to be the one visiting Emily, whom was lying sore in bed in the first place? Not the other way round. Not that Emily could get mad. She was far too worried for Sere's health to berate her when her eyes were closed and unresponsive, nor was Emily fit herself to try and do something to get Sere back on steady feet.
Not even a minute after Emily anxiously called out for help, Simon came sliding over and down to Sere's level. Trust Simon Kincaid to be the hero of the day! If anyone knew how to help Sere, it would be him. Pleasantries would have to wait a bit though, Simon already getting to work by examining the problem before him.
"I'm not sure what happened...! One minute we were just talking and then the next, Sere just keeled over..."
Emily repositioned herself on the floor, stretching her legs out as she leaned a bit to relieve some of the pains in her back as she remained at Sere's side. She watched as Simon's face wrinkled in thought.
"Is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all..."
Word Count: 208
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
Bitter then Better
Hoping to help @Sere Nade and @Emily Shephard
Simon came to their side. Emily had been occupying the other bed and now was knelt down beside the other girl. He came and did the same, placing his hands on the girl's neck, on her wrist, kneeling down lower to feel her breath against his face and to slowly inspect a rising or falling of her chest. There was.
"No," he said calmly to Emily and smiled a little at her caring nature. The girl was a Hufflepuff, through and through, much like himself. He could understand her wanting to help. "No, Em. What you need to do, my friend, is to come and get back into bed yourself," and he gently reached out, placing his hands on her arms. He'd help her up if she'd let him.
"You were in bed for a reason," and while he wasn't yet sure why, as his shift had just begun on the floor, but he knew that she needed to rest. "Let's get you back in and then I'll attend to, Sere?" he asked, hoping he was stating the girl's name correctly.
"Your friend....." he assumed friend, "is going to be alright. I'll attend to her."
When Emily was back in her bed, just right there still, Simon would go to Sere's side once again and evaluate her further, checking a few things before determining that yes, it was safe enough to move her to another place without causing further harm. That wasn't something he had learned in the Hospital Wing internship though but through first aid training with scouts.
Simon, with his dhampir strength, could effortlessly pick up the girl and gently placed her onto the next bed, bringing the covers up around her to help keep her body temperature warm. "Did you notice anything before she passed out? Was she stumbling in her step? Stammering in her speech? Did her eyes look alright?"
Simon reached into his cloak, pulling out a vial of small crushed up pink rocks. They were a sort of salt that hopefully, when placed under the girl's nose, would wake her. He uncorked it and attempted for it to work, moving it slowly back across Sere's face.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
Bitter then Better
October 26th 2024
Bruising Bonding with @Sere Nade and @Simon Kincaid
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Simon really was a machine when he knuckled down in his work. Emily knew how passionate he was when it came to healing and everything under that umbrella of interest, but seeing him in action was something truly just as special. It went without saying that he took it seriously, something that made Simon's knack for healing shine and something that Emily felt inclined to honour. So when she was professionally asked to get back into her bed, Emily all but obeyed. Sere was in capable hands after all.
"Okay... But there's an extra pair of hands that are at the ready if you need help," she said as she hoisted herself back into bed.
She watched as Simon examined Sere with upmost concentration. When she was posed the question of any symptoms prior to her collapse, Emily shook her head regrettably.
"I can't really say I saw anything out of the ordinary before she fell. I mean, she looked fine in the face and all that... It wasn't until after she collapsed that I saw that she looked really tired and slightly jittery..."
She peeked over the edge of the bed to watch Simon lift out some pink matter after he deposited the Gryff into the next bed down. As he placed them under Sere's nose it was then that Emily guessed what it was.
"Ohh... Smelling salt!" That was some pretty smart thinking. Certainly a much gentler approach than taking Sere by the shoulders and shaking her around like a ragdoll, a bit like in the movies.
Emily watched with anticipation, silently begging that it would be enough to help Sere wake up.
Word Count: 250
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone