The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

Giant 1: Kidnapping Jorah Status: Bound (Incarcerous) Health: 950	Giant 2: Blocking Door Status: No longer moving Health: 0
Jorah Moussa Status: Unconcious Health: 0	Griseldis Edelhardt Status: Fine Health: Full
Jake Morris Status: In Lamik's manly arms Health: Full	River Dewlight Status: Fine Health: Full
Leah Isbell Status: Escaped to the hall Health: Full	Max Avery Status: Fine Health: Full
Ruthie Greer Status: Fine Health: Full	Hugh Lowe Status: Fine Health: Full
Heather Ruby Status: Fine Health: Full	Bridget Collins Status: Fine Health: 192
Xailah Alptraum Status: Fine Health: 484	Reid Kovacs Status: Fine Health: Full
Adlai Rod Status: Fine Health: Full	Saskia Nicholson Status: Fine Health: Full
Alexx Séverin Status: Fine Health: Full	Eri Windstone Status: Fine Health: Full
Lark Flaer Status: Unconscious Health: -10	Dale Kurt Status: Fine Health: Full
Dymphna Teague Status: Unconscious  Health: 0	Professor Maya Galim Status: Fine Health: Full
Nico Shymane Status: Fine Health: Full	Serena Davies Status: Fine Health: Full

Dan Palmer Status: Fine Health: 500	Christopher Madson Status: Fine Health: Full
Astrid Kovac (dNPC)
Thiora Larkson Status: Fine Health: 87	Phaedra Stavrou Status: Fine Health: Full
Lamik Fillestar Status: Fine Health: Full	Novus (dNPC) Status: Fine Health: Full
George Henry Status: Fine Health: Full	Adam Harrington Status: Fine Health: 900
Serena Towers Status: Fine Health: Full	James McMurtrie Status: Fine Health: Full
Illowy Magnard Status: Fine Health: Full	Elzabeth Gillan Status: Fine Health: Full
Gem Stuart Status: Girl Magnet Health: Full	Katrina Walker Status: Fine Health: Full
Alan Noble Status: Fine Health: Full	Jane Victoria Status: Dangerous, but fine Health: Full
Professor Elaine Pendrast Status: Fine Health: Full	Brielle Gray Status: Unconscious Health: 0

"Dymph, duck!"

[Refer to The Ball Room Fight for Ruthie's prelude to this moment] @Ruthie Greer's warning would come too late. It would be a scene that would be permanently burned into the young woman's memory.

It was a terrible scene for the few that saw it. It would not even hurt at first, it took a few seconds for @Dymphna Teague's mind to realize what had just happened. Dymphna had been skewered. The piercing pain, the draining sense as blood trickled around the makeshift spear thrust recklessly through her torso by a student. The spear the only thing preventing the girl from gushing blood from the deep penetrating wound. The place the spear filled would throb, the throbbing sensation was fast. That was in cadence with her heart.



Katrina nearly stumbled over @Dymphna Teague, the blood was staining her beautiful light green dress. The wound looked serious because it actually was. It was not every day that a child had a spear sticking out of their body, even at Hogwarts.

"SOMEBODY, OVER HERE!!!!"

@Katrina Walker called for help. Sadly, everybody needed help. This is what terrorism looks like. That chaos and fear, that peaceful existence vanquished. When in terror people lose their power. They lose their wits. 

"THORA, Thora Larkston OVER HERE!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!"

Why her in particular? Well, who knew. It was a name. It was someone to spread the onus of failure. It is odd sometimes the names that leave out mouth when things get bad, who we depend on when we need someone. 

"WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER! IF WE WANT TO ESCAPE HERE ALIVE. EVERYBODY COME OVER HERE, THE MORE PEOPLE HERE, THE SAFER IT IS."

Katrina yelled. Why did she call out for help and then summon others to come to her. Why did she wanted the others to gather, around her. Did Katrina see herself as some sort of leader? As some sort of savior? Perhaps as she tried to attract others to the place where the third year laid, it was a role that she wanted to take. It would be hard for anyone to see her of course, the red sparks had everyone seeing flashing lights and the thick fog that was trapped in the room made it impossible to see. Yet all around them, the chaos could be heard. The shouts and the cries. The demands and the orders. Hers would fade into the calls and the cries of so many others.

"You are going to be alright. This is going to hurt but you will be better."

Katrina claimed as she manually compressed Dymphna's wound. With a bit of pressure the bleeding would be staunched, but the moment the girl pulled her hand away Dymphna would start to bleed again. The problem was, she also removed the make-shift spear. Blood would gush from her newly opened wound and it would hurt like hell. A searing pain as raw muscles and nerves were exposed to the smoky air. The losses would be too much for the bleeding girl, she would bleed out.

Dymphna is now at maximum bleed.

If Dymphna could stand. If she was trying to, her knees would buckle and the poor girl would fall. The pool of blood would grow wider. Slick and wet, hidden under the smoke. The scent of blood, that sickly metallic smell would compete with the smell of burning wood.

...Never ...Never pull an object from an impaling wound. That might be the only thing keeping the blood inside. Katrina would try to slow the blood loss of course, but what could a hand and a napkin do against a gaping wound.

Dymphna has been reduced to 0 health and has been rendered unconscious.

@Thora Larkson would follow the sound of Katrina's voice. It was not far, but in the darkness with the smoke, Thora would find it hard to find the source. She would arrive seconds too late, Dymphna was not moving and there was so much blood. The blood would touch her shoes, staining them.

"Okay, everybody get out of the way, please."

Thora would have to try something. As she kneeled down, she would be kneeling in blood.

"Ferula."

Thora announced. She pronounced the spell correctly and bandages wrapped around the girl. The gauze would be stained red rather quickly. Dymphna was still not moving, but perhaps maybe she would not get any worse. As long as nobody else hit her with a shoe, stabbed her or otherwise assailed her.

Bleed Level Dymphna: 0 (reduced)
Remains unconscious

Sound was the last thing that people lose when they lose consciousness. Perhaps Dymphna could hear @Ruthie Greer begging her.

"It's okay, just stay with me, stay with us"

Dymphna would not be able to answer. The Part-Veela would not be able to protect herself. In fact, one wrong move and Dymphna would be no more. A rather forgettable end, stabbed by her peer in the darkness and left to bleed out on a dance room floor. Ruthie flipped a table over the top of them. Incidental damages might be mitigated, but the giants were still there. They were far from safe.

"How's bad's the pain?"

Ruthie would ask. There would be no answer.

"Sit up if you can."

Ruthie wold try to instruct Dymphna, but she would not be able to comply. Ruthie added some bandages to the transfigured bandages that were already wrapped around her by Thora. If she had not realized it already, Dymphna was unconscious and in real trouble.

"Hey- I uh.. I think the door's open... we should get everyone out of here if we can... follow the smoke... it's being drawn into the hall outside..."

@James McMurtie advised as he stumbled through the darkness. That was the only assistance he would leave the girls huddled under that table. It was better out there, outside of the ballroom. There were places to run out there, here they were trapped like rats. Defying logic, rather than assist the obviously dying girl James ventured back into the dark, black smoke, to find someone that might not even be there. He was not headed for the door.

"It is, yeah."

@Ruthie Greer replied. The door assumedly.

"Doors open."

Ruthie repeated.

Ruthie, Katrina and Thora needed to have a plan - carry the girl out (exceeding their actions) or staying here and letting the smoke clear. If they tried, they would fail (miserably). Thankfully there were plenty of others and perhaps someone else would be able to give them a helping hand. Katrina would not stay and wait, she would leave. @Katrina Walker would part company and find @Gem Stuart. He was carrying @Brielle Gray. [Refer to The Ballroom Fight]. She would bid the small party farewell. She had other people to find, friends to save, her own skin to save.

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Ruthie dismissed Katrina. After Katrina departed, it was as if a tension was lifted.

"Okay, so I'm Thora," the student introduced herself to the Ravenclaw. This was not the time for introductions, but there was no instruction manual on how to deal with these sorts of situations.

"Like Katrina said before she left, do you want to try and get her to the Hospital Wing, or will you just stay here for now? I can stay if you want, but if you've got it, I can go too... Either way works with me."

Thora reiterated their options. Stay or go - a simple binary choice. Nothing is ever that simple

"I don't think we can get through the smoke."

@Ruthie Greer warned. A possible truth.

"It's too big a risk--we could run her into a wall. I'd rather stop the bleeding while the smoke clears. Once she's stable and we have a line of sight, then we can move her."

She explained her logic: that moving Dymphna might do more harm than good. She was not wrong, actions done in haste (like multiple in a round) would end in disaster. While the Veela would likely 'heal pretty', they did not need more blood on theirs hands.

"Put your hand here."

Ruthie instructed @Thora Larkson as she pointed to @Dymphna Teague's abdomen. She had been putting pressure on Dymphna's hemorrhaging wound for some time. Her fingers would be soaked, sticky from her blood. Her fingers sore and tired.

"If you've got another spell, that'd be great, Thora."

Ruthie went on to suggest. Perhaps more bandages. Perhaps some sort of healing potion. Some sort of spell to refill this lost blood.

"But if not, you might be better served helping others. Once the smoke lifts, if you can find a way back here, I'd appreciate your arm. It'll be a hell of a lot easier to carry her out with two people."

Ruthie suggested, temporarily dismissing Thora. She would need the girl again. It was not wise to send her away, taking away a resource, a means by which they could get this girl out of here. The part-Veela would be heavy even if she was missing  good portion of her blood volume.

A redhead with space-buns and formal attire would make her way over to the trio beneath the table. How she found them in the darkness, beneath the table as a huddled mass... unknown. Still, it was a good thing that she did.

"RUTHIE! THORA! IT'S ME, GRIS!"

"Hi Griseldis"

@Thora Larkson acknowledged. They knew each other, it might be a relief that the Prefect was here. There was a sense of authority that comes with that badge, even if age and experience lack. She seemed to take to her role and the authority that came with it naturally.

@Griseldis Edelhardt made certain that they were given a verbose introduction considering the situation.

"Finally! I hope you guys are ok. I heard that you need to help a girl to the Hospital Wing, was she injured badly? Oh and the boy beside me is Alan by the way... It's still hard to see where the entrance is but at least I have really good hearing and I'm confident enough to pinpoint the direction of where the door is... I was able to hear Hugh and the other person's voice and them trying to slam open the door. I'll try my best to guide you guys there."

She summarized quite a bit despite the chaos and the darkness. She sounded confident. She sounded like she would be able to get them out of there despite the fact that like them, she was just a kid.

"Ruthie, if you want me to find your other friend I might be able to find him, I don't know his name yet but I still remember his voice. I erhm...also wanted to apologize to him for knocking him off the broom and almost hurt him. Anyway, if anything happens, Alan might be able to use his wand to fight off those Giants or put out the remaining fire on the way and I'll be your guide and shield."

Gris announced. She had a lot to say.

"Okay, so if Gris can guide us over to the exit, I'll stay with you guys. Like you said, it'll definitely be easier if I help you maneuver her over to the exit... What do you think, Ruthie?"

Thora asked her partner beneath the table. They could not compress this wound forever.

“Ruthie, I think that’s your name. Can you take Dymphna out to safety. The doors are open, bring her to the hospital wing... I’m going to stay here and help people that need help.”

That was the plan. It was not a complicated plan but it would still be difficult to achieve. The setting was in complete chaos. There were a pair of aggressive, dangerous giants near the door, a thick cloud of smoke and darkness obscured their sight.

"THE DOORS ARE OPEN, GET OUT!"

@Reid Kovacs cried, his cracking adolescent voice carried over the chaos, beckoning them to carry Dymphna out. For everone to come out. To carry Dymphna past those monsters. To have everyone else run past these monsters.

Dymphna's personal white knight, @Oliver Hart would rush between Dymphna and the part giants. The Ravenclaw was going to protect her even if it was the last thing he was going to do. He was going to save her. This was not infatuation or lust, this was love. There is a difference between wanting to be near someone, wanting the glory of being a hero and putting yourself in-between danger and your heart's desire. Well, at least he would try to [Refer to the Ballroom Fight]. O(liver would miss, but a path was cleared for her. Broken bits of tables and chairs were shot out the open door and into the hallway.

Oliver Hart wanted to help, he had helped. He should have stopped there but nothing was too good for the future Mrs Hart. His blazer laid on top of the girl in a moment of tenderness.

"Stay awake whatever you do, Dymphna!"

Oliver begged but Dymphna had already bled out. She would not, she could not reply. She did not look peaceful either, her pretty face twisted into an expression of pain. Death is not gentle nor is it kind. She was lingering on the precipice of death.

Oliver would try to grab hold of Dymphna's ankles. He did not ask for permission, he did not ask if there was a plan. He was not there for that. He was going to get her out of here, at the very least there was now a clear path to the door. The tables and the chairs were pushed to either side. That was the path he was going to use to get her out of here. There was only problem, the only thing that was lower than this boy's stamina was his strength. Years with a book in hand cause a bit of atrophy in other areas.

"Leviosa, I'll use leviosa on her dress!"

It sounded like a good plan, the less than 50kg girl was being weighed down by that kilogram, maybe a bit more depending on the grandness of her dress. There was only two problems -- first, this was not Oliver's first action of the round. His Flippendo had cleared them a path, while it was discouraging that he was not able to knock the part giants down a few notches, they were going to have a path to follow out of here. Second, this being the second action, something was going to go terribly wrong. Honestly, it would have been awkward even if it went right.

"Leviosa!"

As if a breeze came from beneath Dymphna's skirt, the fabric became to flutter violently as if she was standing on an air vent at full blast. Marilyn Monroe made it look effortless and sexy. That was not the case here. (I am so dang sorry!) There might be some additional blood loss from Oliver, not Dymphna.



The darkness was overwhelming. Students called out for one another. Even within the cloud of darkness, far from the part-giants, there was something terrible behind the veil. @Arc Perscivious's awful presence would grip the hearts of those nearby, already terrified by this dangerous turn of events but made worse by the sense that there was a true demon among them. @Adlai Rod and @Leah Isbell tried to find each other, to find comfort in each other in the dark. It was quite possible that they would both die. The only thing worse than death was dying alone.  There was something comforting, no empowering for Hufflepuffs when they  got together. They were both too young to remember Professor Lear's one and only lesson before he was pulled from House Hufflepuff - they were more powerful together than they were alone. They needed to band together. To work together. Otherwise, they would fail. They would fall.

That truth would ring true on this day, as the giants took control. Like with the shadows, those that were on their own crumbled. If they were left on the ground, they would most certainly die. Leave no (wo)man behind. It was possible that they would get hurt. At least if everything went wrong, they could be together. They could carry one another. Shield the weakest among them. Use their strengths to bolster one another.

A lot can be gleaned from someone when things got dangerous. Who you looked for. Who you called out to. @Chistopher Madson called out for @Illowy Magnard. That was where his heart was, with some it was friends, some fledgling lovers and for others it was family.

"I-Illowy... ILLOWY! If you hear me... find someone and get out while you can!"

Christopher called out. It was pitiful and terrible. Christopher should have tried to find her. He should have tried to save her. Was he just too weak? Too scared? Too prideful? Perhaps a bit of all of these things. he was not going to look for her, he was going to hope she found her way out.  He was going to stay. He was going to fight. Torch in hand, he was going to try again.

@Nico Shymane would call out for @Hugh Lowe.

"Hugh"

@Hugh Lowe was nowhere near, he had already broken the door down. Smoke was being pulled from the room. Why him? Why not her other friends. She had so many. Unlike the Gryffindor Prefect who tried to take charge [Refer to Death of a Veela], she curled up and prepared to die. It was perhaps her first instinct, in fact it was not terribly unique. Hugh was a strange young man, dangerous in fact. Sometimes you think that he can just make it better. Perhaps he believed it himself, it might be a Gryffindor thing. A hero thing. Something about heroics and being seen as a savior.

She needed to do more than call his name, wait to be saved like a princess in a tower. If she wants to live, she needs to stand up on her own two feet and fight. She needs to be the hero she needs, not only for herself but for those around her. To improve. To fight. To take flight. To change the fate of someone more feeble than she.

@Astrea Soleil Neptune cast Lumos to light her wand. The pretty little girl had attracted the American, Novus (dNPC). There was a problem, he did not pick a girl that was trying to survive but rather a girl that just lit her wand. She just made themselves a target, unlike others their location was semi-visible. A viable target in this dark cloud. But there was the distinct possibility that they would target someone else, someone closer would be more of a threat than the rampaging part-giants.

She wanted to open the windows, but as Novus pointed out, the windows were too large. Hardly the type that would be casually opened if someone could even reach them over the wooden panels that stretched several feet above the stage. They could break the windows of course but to what ends? To let the magical and real smoke filter out. To add oxygen to the fires that threatened to cook them alive.

It was still a better idea than the one Novus (dNPC) had --

"If we really want to help though, the best idea would be going towards the fire. Higher chance of finding injured people there."

Move towards the danger, find someone hurt that would drag them down and try to help them. It was a very open-ended plan, but one that Astrea agreed to. Would they even find someone? If they found someone could they be of any help? Did they forfeit their chance of survival to possibly help someone that may or may not exist that they may or may not be successful in saving? There were a lot of variables. There were a lot of risks. This was a gamble.

"Affirmative."

She was part-robot as well as a blue-blood it would seem, but her point was made.

"Where do you suggest? We need to be quick unless we are of assistance to the extinguishing of the actual blazes."

The fires would die down. The smoke would soon clear, both out of the room and dispelled by the future actions of the Head of Gryffindor [as mentioned below] shortly after she made this inquiry. Once the smoke cleared they would see a clear path to the door. A mixture of injured students, students doing battle against the part-giants and students fleeing towards freedom, being beckoned by those that had already found their escape.

@Adam Harrington was launched part way across the ballroom and in the darkness of those thick clouds of magical and natural smoke he would feel his way back. Was he looking for another fight? He likely had no idea what he was doing. He did not seem to have a plan. He would not find the giant that had assailed him, not yet at least. He would find @Ruthie Greer, the victim of the Dancing Spell. She was a victim in waiting as long as her feet were a slave to an unheard song. The young Ravenclaw would raise his wand.

Adam casts Finite Incantatem at Ruthie Greer. Roll: 20 Critical Success

Ruthie would be freed by Adam's benevolence. He could have ran, saved himself. He could have selfishly sought glory or tried to sate his blood lust by attacking the part-giants, one of the two was not even a threat any longer. He didn't, he helped her. Ruthie would not stay where she stood, she had just witnessed her housemate get impaled. Heroes needed no thanks. Ruthie ran to Dymphna's side. [Refer to Death of a Veela]

"Gem!"

The last words uttered by @Brielle Gray before she fell to the floor unconscious.

Gem Stuart would hear Brielle's final, dramatic cry for help. He would have the chance to play the hero in addition to being a generic pre-teen stud muffin. He would pick the unconscious girl off the ground. Why did girls have to wear their weight in overpriced fabric and accessories? With a mighty heave, the sort where a 4 strength made it difficult to lift the girl he would try to carry Brielle out.

It would not be one of those moments were he demonstrated his physical prowess, he rather teetered and nearly dropped her but somehow endeavored. Love? Maybe. Heroics? Sure, let's go with that.

@Lark Flaer was also unconscious on the floor. Dancing near her face, her date @Dale. It would be one of those sadistic moments where Dale was dancing (likely poorly), unable to assist his date who had just suffered a head injury and was not moving. he was not even able to check and see if she was alive. He was not able to help her. He was not even able to help himself. He could not fight, he could not run.

Her friend, @James McMurtie would find Lark on the floor, she was still breathing but she was hurt real bad. He never addressed Dale who was inches, perhaps a few feet at most away from her.

"Lark can you hear me? Can you open your eyes? Can you try to squeeze my hand?"

She would not be able to, but she might be able to hear him. It would be like hearing someone shout from under the water if she could. He ignored Dale who was trapped in an eternal dance. James was going to save Lark, Dale be damned. Lark was heavier than she looked but James was stronger than he looked as he lifted the limp girl off the floor. He would not be distracted by some other girl, he was just going to save Lark.

"DOORS ARE OPEN. FOLLOW THE DIRECTION THE SMOKE IS MOVING"

James shouted, alerting the public to the fact that there was a way out. This was their chance. Don't fight an unwinnable fight. Don't stay there and wait to die. James' important person was apparently in his arms as he left Dale and hoped his other friends would come.

"EVERYONE, TH' DOORS ARE OPEN. GO AN' GET YERSELVES NEAR IT, FOLLOW E' CLEARIN'"

Gem called out, repeating what James had instructed, not that anyone understood a guy with an accent. It was always the same, smile and nod. Still, their combined efforts was enough to direct some. @Leah Isbell and @Adlai Rod would follow the movement of the smoke and try to find their way outside.

“Is she okay, what happened?”

A voice in the dark that somehow saw this scene would ask. It was @Katrina Walker. Perhaps it was Gem Stuart's voice repeating James' instructions that attracted her.

@Dale Kurt was going to burn to death dancing the night away. Someone (James) had already stole his girlfriend and left him to die. He was not a particularly good dancer and there was no music, only the chaos to which he submitted to in this uncanny rhythm. It was likely a terrible feeling. Then providence came at his darkest moment. She, this mysterious young woman was like a bitchy angel (I am sorry Saskia) as she raised her hand to him and shouted as she smacked the boy across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself!"

That was all that was necessary to break the curse. He stopped dancing, his legs would feel as if they were made of gelatin.

"I- Y-Yeah, sorry my s-spell backfired."

Dale tried to explain, not that he was planning on staying. Rather than ally with his savior, trying to find his girlfriend that was just carried off my some guy who was hopefully not up to no-good, he would do something else. Dale could run, save his own skin. Find someone else he cared about and made sure that they were safe. Dale would do no such thing, he was going to exact violent vengeance upon his massive adversary. Lark was probably fine in the arms of another man, maybe he even knew him. His friends were fine, those were not the bad sort of screams. Actually they might have been, but loud noises just meant that they were still alive. They would find their way, Dale was about to make sure this hunk of jagged wood he broke from a chair would find its way in the giant's gut.

Dale attack part-giant 13 + 5 = 18
Part-giant evasion 3 + 15 = 18
Due to Flanking, this HIT

Dale would wildly thrust his jagged hunk of wood, attempting to impale the raging beast of a man, putting himself into melee. The makeshift stake would plunge into the part-giant's thigh. The part giant would let out a mighty roar.

@Oliver Hart had landed on @Dinara Lucey. The girl almost had a decent night with some nice young man that seemed both insane but also interested in her, a somewhat expected combination one could suppose. Now the poor girl was flattened by Oliver's butt cheeks rather than in the arms with a hyperactive, socially-awkward pre-teen.

Oliver was motion-sick, he wretched and the contents of his last two meals splattered n the floor inches from the poor girl. In the chaos, the students were fighting and taking flight. Oliver on the ground, Dinara beneath; nobody was pulling either to their feet. Well, @Jurgen Hess was too busy being on fire and then newly extinguished and everyone else either did not care about them or they were beneath their notice - they could only do so much and they needed to escape, find their friends or retaliate against the part-giants. Perhaps the part-giants would have gotten away with it unassailed had Oliver been the one being kidnapped. A misstep on their part since they targeted a fellow Ravenclaw.

Oliver would get off of Dinara, Jurgen would offer the girl a singed hand.

"We need to get you out of here."

Jurgen announced. Not much for heroics considering he spent this battle on fire running in circles up until this point. He still had to try something. Fight the giants? No, he extended his hand to Dinara. If she took it, he would try to pull her towards the door. If she didn't, he would try to carry her. Is this a second kidnapping? Better not ask, this dance cannot handle anymore drama.

Oliver would run, well it was more like the Baywatch beach run where the victims would be drowned and spectators would be mesmerized by the bouncing... something or other. Oliver also had plenty of jiggle, but it was not quite as... fascinating. When he went to his final form, a slow Naruto run. It took twice as long as it would for a normal person to get there, he stood in-between Dymphna and the part-Giants.

"FLIPENDO DUO!!!"

The boy roared, his wand pointed in her direction.

Attack Part Giant (Oliver) 3 + 9 = 12
Evasion Part Giant 18 + 5 = 23

The attack missed, however the display was impressive. The boy might be rotund but he was likely brilliant. His weak body however could only be made up for only so much by his intellect. The attack missed, but a powerful force would rush past the giants, nearly hitting them both [Refer to Death of a Veela].

A note here of relevance. One of the delays in this thread was awaiting for approval of Oliver's Trunk for the use of this spell. Upon further review it was discovered that the Syllabus is under review and the anticipated change in the Syllabus would eliminate Flippendo Duo from the learned spells. This is of no fault of Oliver's so I am not automatically failing this spell. The fresh, finalized syllabus is posted to prevent future issues. I will be looking into a means of compensating Oliver personally.

For the moment please accept my public, sincere apology.

Some major changes will be made to DADA in the coming weeks so please stay tuned.

A path was cleared, tables and chairs were pushed to either side of the now clear path formed by the boy's magic. One such table skid in front of Elzabeth Gillian (dNPC), she crashed into it, the thick dark smoke blinding her she never saw the table move into her path as she blindly made her way to the door.

"Elzabeth? Christ, wh- ugh."

@Gem Stuart wheezed. He had found another girl. This would be three now. leave some for the rest of us Casanova.

"Hey, uh, hook yer arm around mine, okay? I-"

The resident lady-man side-stepped over, opening his arm up while he still had a grasp on Brielle. He was barely holding her upright but that did not seem to be stopping him from offering a hand to another girl as well.

"C'mon, joost follow me, okay? I kind of... have an idea where ta go."

He was lying as he offered her an arm to escort her while he carried another.

"Control your students, Headmaster"

Professor @Elaine Pendrast's tone was sharp.

And what, act surprised when one goes on a rampage?" the Headmaster replied cooly considering the chaos. His wand was still in hand, however a clear shot could not be promised to him. He could not. No would not risk missing.

"One could get the impression that you are letting dangerous half-creatures roam about our school untethered."

"Goodness me, you cannot have that."

He gave her a shark-like grin. There was something disconcerting about him, not that he had done anything 'wrong.' But why did the obviously flamboyant Headmaster take on the garb that would often be associated with another.

"There is only one thing that can be done in a situation such as this..."

His voice trailed off as he parted her company with a strange bow. A hand over his heart and the other resting against the small of his back.

"Evanesco."

Better known as the Vanishing Spell, the smoke into a state of non-being as just cast by the Head of House.

Contested Rolls
Smokescreen: 20 + 7 = 27 Critical Success
Vanishing Spell: 14 + 30 = 44

It would take longer than it should to dissipate, @Alexx Séverin's skillful cast of Smokescreen was a notable achievement. When the smoke cleared a great many things would be seen, @Serena Bowen was covered in discarded food, wearing a singed dress. A bound and gagged part-giant was on the ground. @Xailah Alptraum was on top of some poor girl (@Bridget Collins). She looked even stranger than usual, a pair of horns on the crown of her head. She looked like a devil.

@Dan Palmer pulled out his wand and pointed his wand at the part giant.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

That spell was by far not powerful enough to levitate a part giant, it was not enough enough to levitate a midget. Still, it might slow him down if he ever got freed.

Leviosa Attack: 6 + 8 = 14 Miss
Part Giant Evasion: 2 + 15 = 17

The spell was a miss, perpetuating the illusion that magic did not work on these part giants.

The Headmaster would draw a black wood wand, it was strange, almost curved its entire length. Pointed towards the pair of giants, he would point his weapon at the one still standing. He would mouth the words he intended to cast.

Headmaster casts a spell at the part-giant 6 HIT
Part Giant Attempts to Evade 4

The part giant would buckle over and start to wretch. His eyes widened, he was doubled over. There was no sound coming from him, it was as if he was choking. His face beet-red.

@Xailah Alptraum was separated from her cat, Schrödinger. The feline had already assailed an unfortunate flower arrangement. She might have overestimated her cat's intelligence as she told the cat to find help. Once released, the cat would wander off. It was far too loud and too chaotic to stay so the cat was pushed out and would join The Escapists.

@Dorothy Shafiq would stumble into @Jake Morris and @George Henry in the midst of their probably manly embrace.

"Jake!"

...and whoever the other guy is.

"Get-cough-out!"

Dorothy pushed them in the direction she thought the door was. Jake was clingier than a freshman girlfriend as he held onto George. In true soap opera fashion, George might be in Jake's arms but @Lamik Fillestar was on his mind.

"I g-gotta...g-get to...L-L-Lamik,"

Was that an apology? A declaration. A mission. Where was Lamik? He was calling out to the pumpkin youth but he got distracted pretty quickly. As the veil started to thin, Jake would see the familiar form of the Gryffindor.

"Lamik...!"

Jake would relinquish his old of George and attempt to latch onto Lamik instead. George was just dumped, Jake was sobbing into Lamik.

"L-Lamik..."

Pumpkin Boy (Jake Morris) cried.

"Youre going to be ok, Jake."

They needed to get out of here, both Jake and Aideen.

Meanwhile, George still had someone. The crazy bitey girl, @Mari Haynes. He had left her for another like a hormonal college student. Alone on the dance floor, she was not particularly helpful. Mari, however had nobody. George had left her for his dorm mate. His dorm mate had left George for Lamik. This was certainly a High School. She, like Nico was shriveling up. Not willing to fight. She was capable. She did not need anyone to save her. She could be saving someone else. All she had to do was stand up on her own two feet and go!

@Jorah Moussa was going to face off against the part giant once again. The boy was suicidal. Didn't he know what happened when you hit a man in the junk. Sure, they shrivel a bit, but their wrath is ten-fold.

Well... whatever.

"Hey Butthead!"

Jorah was trying to get the part giant's attention and it was working.

"You hit like a girl!"

Jorah: Accuracy 10 + Broken Broomshaft. Roll: 6 = 16
Giant: Evasion 15 + roll. Roll: 3 = 18 - 5 = 13

It hit. It &%$#'ing hit! The bludgers were cracked, the broomshaft was broken. The part giant was still choking on something strange and pale that was slowly emerging from his mouth. It was not likely that the part giant was going to be fathering any children. He saw stars. Jorah had also gotten the part giant's attention.

@Dorothy Shafiq came at the part giant at the same time Jorah did. Jorah aimed low, so she aimed high.

"Detention, you bastar-"

She declared, not that either of them went to their school.

Dorthy Attack 5 + Roll: 5 = 10
Part Giant Evade 15 + Roll: 3 = 18 - 5 = 13 - 1 = 12

Detention maybe, but there was no head injury. With a mighty heave, the chair was lifted from the ground and perhaps she was a bit too short to reach the head as she wildly swung at the part-giant. The chair would hit a nearby table and shatter. It was WWE with magic and over the top violence.

It was not just the two of them, it was three. @Christopher Madson was still wielding the dying flames of his torch. He would swing...

Attack: 8 + Roll: 2 = 10
Evasion: 15 + Roll: 10 = 25 - 1 = 24 - 5 = 19

His torch would swing around and miss.

The fog was lifting, leaving a lingering haze that would also dissipate. The floor and various pieces of furniture were charred as were bits of the floor. @Bridget Collins, @Alexx Séverin and @Serena Towers would cast Extinguo a final time at the site of the former fires for good measure, likely much to the relief of Jurgen Hess. One threat averted, there was still the giant to contend with.

"Kids?"

@Max Avery's voice wobbled.

"Man, I always thought giants were strong but if they're attacking stupid little wizard kids who barely know any spells, I guess I was wrong. I mean, I know somebody probably set this up because they know giants are idiots who will listen to whatever they're told - especially from smarter races - but this is just ridiculous. The whole Wizarding World already thinks giants are a freaking joke since all they manage to do is get wiped out by Aurors, but once this makes the paper - mate, that race will be laughed at for eternity. Hell, attacking us makes them look weaker than House Elves!

No, I don't think this is the way to prove themselves at all. What would their Gurg say? He'd probably make them the bottom of the pack and force them to be the ones to gather food for weeks! He probably wouldn't even let them eat or sleep where they wanted. You know what I think would make them seem really fearsome and have wizards cower in terror, offering them all sorts of gifts so they don't come after us? A giant versus giant fight. That's really the only way to prove who's the biggest and strongest - and who deserves to get all the food. Those guys both probably think the one they're working for will give them great rewards, but that person will obviously give the better rewards to the stronger one. C'mon guys, let's be realistic, one of you should get all the rewards. I mean, if you guys fight I'll respect you so much that I'll let the winner kill and eat me as a prize! It would be an honour for me!"

Max was more clever than he looked. His attempt to manipulate the duo was pretty obvious, one of them was tied up. The other was surrounded by students but holding his own.

Max Wisdom 9 + Roll: 12 = 21
Part Giant Wisdom 5 + Roll: 11 = 16
He got into the part giant's head! (Debuff)

A fight would have to be a fair fight. Victory over a bound opponent was even worse than kicking the ass of these scrubs. But that was not what those words meant to him. This kid thought that there was a finite reward. He had no idea what was going on, the damn fool. Beyond a strange glint in his eyes, the giant still choking on something and reeling from pain.

"Flipendo."

Someone from behind Max would call out. @Arc Perscivious disregarded Professor Galim's warning that magic does not work on giants. A potential untruth as far as Arc was concerned. Magic might not be as effective but that did not render them ineffective. Being in melee of these part-giants was dangerous, they were too strong for Arc's delicate form. His best chance was to attack from afar.

Arc Flippendo Attack 15 + 10 = 25
Part Giant Evasion 10 + 15 = 25
Re-roll: 1 (critical fail), 8
Random Target: 53 (Jorah Moussa)

Jorah would be hit hard by the attack. He had just had a taste of victory, the feel of something being crushed beneath his bat and then... His feet were swept out from under him and he was pushed away from Arc, towards the hall but not quite into the hall. Rather he found himself airborne and a wall terminating his path. Face first into a wall directly between the pair of giants.

"THE DOORS ARE OPEN, GET OUT!"

@Reid Kovacs cried, his cracking adolescent voice carried over the chaos, begging the students to run rather than stay. The ballroom represented danger, Reid knew well what happens when you stay. They needed to run. They needed to stay safe! But Reid did not need to stay safe, he was going back in.

He would run at the giant, attempting to take the giant down from behind. His muggle experiences in his favor. He would try to tackle the part giant. As he tried to wrap his arms around the part giant's torso, his legs would fling over Jorah's fallen body like a violent rag-doll in a muppet show in the midst of a life or death battle.

Reid Attacks Giant: 9 + 7 = 16 Miss
Giant Evasion: 20 - 5 - 1 - 1 + 15 = 28

Reid's mad dash for the barn-sized part-giant would end in failure, he was never able to grab hold of the part giantbut he was not able to get close, the part-giant saw the teen coming and moved to the side. Reid would stumble a few steps past the part giant.

"Rictusempra!"

River would scream, her wand in hand. Too close. WAY TOO CLOSE. Too close to Reid and Jorah. She could have run. She should have run, but danger was a state of being for her. There was always something. Someone. Terrible things had a way of happening here, it was as if this place was cursed. Sometimes, however... Laughter is the best medicine.

Rictusempra Attack 4
Part Giant Evasion 17 + 15 - 5 - 1 - 1

This evening would be mirthless. There was no smile to be had on the part giant as he continued to rampage. Well, he was less rampaging as he was thrashing? A hand to his own throat rather than his groin. He had not yet expelled whatever it was that was emerging from his mouth, blocking his airway.

This unlikely moment was where @Jane Victoria (Jay) would finally intervene, without the smoke making the room as dark and as obscure as their heart they had to do something. They would draw their wand from their pants/skirt and aim it at the part giant that was trying to kidnap Jorah. Well, maybe she was pointing at him, while a lot of the students were missing and there was a fair amount of friendly fire that would keep some students awake at night, that was a minor consideration for the fledgling potential sociopath.

“Tarantallegra!”

Attack: 4 Miss
Evasion: 8

Unfussed by this, Jane would draw a knife? Who brings a knife to a ballroom dance? Well, apparently Jay. As the universe decreed that there was only one action to be had per 'round,' this would not go well. They did not care about collateral damage anyways...

Random Target: 9 (Jorah)

What sort of special was this boy. Why was everyone trying to kill or kidnap him? Was this some sort of cosmic joke! Well, this is why you should not run with scissors knives. Like something out of Final Destination, a trip... a stumble and an unlikely series of acrobatics caused the young student to go past the part Giant and to knife Jorah in the back. The cosmic dice did not care for the young Ravenclaw.
[/u][/u]

Jorah has been rendered unconscious.

@Thea Knott was somewhere off on her own, one of the few that did not gather with the others. Find some comfort in an ally. Try to save someone else. A glass would be lobbed from her table in an arching path in the direction of the part giants.

Glass thrown 6 + 6
Part Giants Evasion 13 + 15 - 5  1 - 1

The glass would simply shatter on the floor nearby.

Astrea charged the part giant with a hunk of woof in hand [after leaving the Escapists]. It was a reckless choice, but considering the fact that so many others had already surrounded the giant. It would appear that the part giant was being overwhelmed by the shear numbers of children.

Astrea Attack 8 Miss
Part Giant Evasion 20

She would stumble into the room.She was not a feral warrior, her attack lacked grace but in her defense the part-giant was also not standing still. In an unexpected turn of events, before she could jam her hunk of wood into the part giant, he would fall to the ground face-first. She would simply run past/over him like a crazy person.

The part giant had succame to his injuries, he was not moving.

The Felled Giant

Restrained on the floor, arms and legs tightly bound and gagged, he was not a threat to anyone (yet). He struggled against his restraints. The ropes strained against the part giant's might. The Canadian, Simon Bellanger would attempt to stab the giant with his only weapon, his wand. Why cast universe-bending magic when you can jab someone with a hard, dull object.

It was like stabbing someone with a butter knife. It did not slice easily but with sufficient force the skin was broken and several centimeters of hardwood would be jammed into the part giant's thigh. The part-giant would let out a muffled scream.

Simon Bellanger stabbed the part giant in the thigh with his wand

Why... Why did he do that!

Simon's likely future paramour, long-distance lover and ex would find him as the dark fog started to clear. @Alexx Séverin would find him somehow in the chaos. She would exceed her one action per round and cast Lumos but of course something would go wrong. The tip of her wand would light up, but it would get too bright. A few inches from Simon's face, the boy would be blinded.

Simon Bellanger is blinded by Alexx, cannot target next round

The haze, the too bright light, it was not making things any better for her. Never mind poor Simon.

"Nox"

The light only got brighter, Alexx blinding herself before the tip of her wand darkened like a dying star.

Alexx blinded herself, cannot target next round

"THE DOORS ARE OPEN, GET OUT!"

@Reid Kovacs cried, his cracking adolescent voice carried over the chaos, begging the students to run rather than stay.

Evanore Fairclay (dNPC) likely heard the Hufflepuff's instruction. Freedom through the lingering haze was barely visible. She would grip her final projectile, a second shoe, the most dangerous weapon in this ballroom apparently and hurl her footwear with all her mediocre might. The part giant was bound and gagged, unable to evade. All she had to do was lob the shoe in his general direction.

Crit Fail Check: 1 (Fail)

However, her throw was reckless. The shoe would bounce off the floor into the hall and clock an unfortunate student (@Dan Palmer) on side of their head.

Dan was not having a good date night, no not at all. Not only was his mushy moment ruined, being only a second year the boy's hope had not been broken as of yet. He just had a shoe to the face.

The Escapists

@Andrew Vance tugged @Heather Ruby through the thick cloud of smoke as they blindly searched for an exit. They were looking to not only get help but to escape themselves. It was true, the paintings saw just about everything that went on in Hogwarts. They were already well-aware of the 'situation' in the ballroom. Many of them already fled. Their frames in danger, they sought refuge where they could.

Andrew and Heather blindly searched for the exit. It was not that different for Ruby, trying to find her way out of the ballroom, just follow the sounds. Some of the students who had already escaped were calling into the dance floor, letting everyone know that they could escape if they just followed the sound of their voice.

@Andrew Vance would trip over the broken door frame as he located their means of egress. As if well-timed, Professor @Elaine Pendrast would cast the Vanishing Spell right as they left the ballroom. Back in the ballroom they, well Andrew in any case would see the chaos -- some of the students were bloody some were on the ground and not moving. One of the giants was restrained. The other was free and looked incredibly angry. 

They would step over or around a downed girl pinned beneath an older guy. An occasional result of a dance but not as uh... desirable in this case. The poor-poor girl... Phylicia Stanwood (dNPC) was there also, a witness to @Reid Kovacs and @Hugh Lowe's display of strength. @Andrew Vance and [/mention]Heather Ruby[/mention] would rush past her the group. They were looking for help. What did they think was going to happen, that a Professor would be able to fix everything? Perhaps. What else were they supposed to do? They were just kids!

"Phyllis? Astrid?" Karilyna Kawahara (dNPC) called out, her voice muffled beneath Mr. Lowe.

"Could one of you please get me out of this bloody mess?"

Karilyna pleaded. Reid Kovacs did not hear or potentially ignored her pleas as he moved towards the ballroom threshold, he was not helping her. Andrew and Ruby had rushed past her. None of them were of any help. Phylicia (dNPC) would have to rescue her friend Karilyna Kawahara (dNPC) before she was crushed under the weight of another part-giant. This one less dangerous but no less heavy.

@Heather Ruby would rush down the hall. Many of the residents within those frames had fled the immediate vicinity. Her cries would be for nothing at first. Once she traveled far enough someone would hear her. It was the paintings on the walls. They were as frazzled as the youth, peering from around the edge of their frame or a portion of the setting.

"We know"










They were in no better shape in the halls. It was not one, but a chorus of paintings all trying to get in on the conversation. Some in a panic, others calmer. A few had helpful information but that was not the case for all.

"They're not here!"



"The woods."



Ruby did not want the Professors, she wanted the House Elves. The paintings were going on about the Professors. In reality, most of the Professors were fine and safe (with the exception of four), the rest were otherwise indisposed. It was either a moment of providence or it was a clever plan perpetuated by someone or something incredibly dangerous. A theory that of course could not be discussed, not here. Nobody was thinking about the bigger picture, just the smaller ones. There were a few Professors in the ball, but they were grossly outnumbered. It was not that they lacked skill or proficiency but acts of terror succeed not due to a gap in skill, want or effort. Rather they feed on the chaos. That was exactly what was happening here.

The girl wanted House Elves. That was something different. Something new.











The House Elves usually busied themselves throughout the Scottish castle, but they were limited to a single room. Why were they there? Were any of them coming? They were not, not that the paintings had any way of knowing this. Something had went very very wrong for the House Elves as well. Primarily fixtures here in Hogwarts, their efforts may be notable but their presence is often unnoticed. 



One of the paintings tried to assure her but there was uncertainty in her voice as she said that.

Something was terribly wrong and it was hardly limited to the ballroom.

@Xailah Alptraum's cat Schrödinger would wander into the hall. Finding help was too great a task for a cat. It would look back, his human did not follow. Schrödinger was no coward, Schrödinger would plop down on top of Karilyna Kawahara (dNPC) yowl at the door.

@Adlai Rod and @Leah Isbell would stumble into the hall, their eyes still stinging from the smoke and their lungs. The smoke may have cleared but they blindly made their way to freedom.

"Come on, Adlai, take a few more steps forward."

Was that hope? Yes, freedom was here.

"We're safer here."

A truth, on the fringe of chaos, the two girls escaped. After, @Reid Kovacs would call into the chaotic dance floor. The smoke dissipating. They would see poor Karilyna Kawahara (dNPC) beneath @Hugh Lowe, there was one girl (Phylis, dNPC) trying to free her from beneath @Hugh Lowe. Tugged free, the girl was a bit battered but she was still able to stand upright unless a wild shoe clocked her in the head.

"THE DOORS ARE OPEN, GET OUT!"

@Reid Kovacs cried, his cracking adolescent voice carried over the chaos, begging the students to run rather than stay. The ballroom represented danger, Reid knew well what happens when you stay. They needed to run. They needed to stay safe! But reid did not need to stay safe, he was going back in. [Refer to The Ballroom Fight]

"THE DOORS ARE OPEN!"

dNPC Phylicia Stanwood repeated.  It was time to evacuate.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Do you need any help? We can take you to the hospital wing, if you need."

@Leah Isbell offered the nearly crushed girl. It was a simple, obvious question for anyone to ask considering the situation. The American hardly knew her way around the great Scottish castle so it would only make sense that she would need a...

"Um, thanks. But I think we can handle it if we need to and, well, whatever's going on in there is probably way worse. So maybe you could find an adult or yell some more so people know they can get out..."

Well, one could suppose not. Oddly enough, Phylicia Stanwood (dNPC) rejected Leah's offer for assistance despite the fact that she had no idea where the medical wing was. Despite the fact that she might have been hurt. Despite the fact that it was a shameless reason to leave the scene. 

"Yeah, thanks for asking, but I think I'm fine."

Karilyna Kawahara (dNPC) dismissed Leah. She was barely standing in a school she knew little about in the midst of some sort of terrorist attack. Partially ignoring the poor girl after, Phylicia Stanwood (dNPC) made an inquiry:

"It's up to you, then--stay or Hospital Wing? And by the way, if you fall over or pass out after saying stay I am carrying you outta here whether you like it or not."

Poor young Leah seemed to have a hard time finding a place, groups were not particularly open to accepting her even if she was only there to help. At the very least Karilyna was out from under Hugh, only Ana belonged there.

"Um, we are staying here, duh... No, I'm fine. And no, I'm not fainting. C'mon, I'm a doe-eyed shrimp or whatever you call me now but I'm not a wimp. Dude, I don't faint. I've never fainted."

Karilyna claimed, of course today was a day for new experiences and the night was young.

"That's what I figured. And I call you Miss Doe-Eyes, by the way, although I'm going to have to think about changing it to something about doors."

The banter continued oddly enough and Karilyna made another declaration.

"I am not going to the Hospital Wing."

So where would she go? The students were making their way out, away from the danger unless they were squaring off with the part giants. one of which was restrained.

"C'mon, guys, I'm going in."

In defiance of logic, Karilyna would leave the Escapists and attempt to re-enter the ball. Astid would follow.

"Which of the multiple problems within this ballroom are you two going to try and help?"

Astrid inquired. The disaster was, oddly enough winding down even if it did not look like it. The part of a chair would shoot past her and break even further in the hall (from a rogue Flippendo).

At least they would be armed, a chunk of wood accurately described as a 'splinter' in comparison to those part giants. It was not a good plan, entering this chaotic scene when so many others were trying to flee or battle the part giants. One was restrained. The other... he was holding his own and it was a terrifying sight to behold - the raw, incredible power of these monstrous youths.

Astrid would run at one of the part giants [Refer to the Ballroom Fight]

One Giant is retrained.
The other giant is not moving.
There is no fire.
Jorah is unconscious, there is also a knife in his back.
Brielle and Lark were both unconscious and being carried out by a guy.
Dymphna was unconscious, she has stopped bleeding and there is a small group of people tending to her.

Interacting with @Leah Isbell

"I'll take you to the common room or the hospital wing. Where do you want to go?" Leah asked Adlai as she slumped in her friends arms. Though she desperately wanted to go to the hospital wing she instead said, “The common room.”

She was sure the crazy woman who had slugged Leah in the face would be in the hospital wing and didn’t want anymore trouble to real loose. Besides, it was only a little smoke and it wouldn’t kill her, right?

She did her best to sand up straight, to aid in Leah’s task to drag her along. But she was so tired, she couldn’t see much and her feet ached. “I’m sorry.” She whispered to Leah.

As to what she was apologizing for, she didn’t exactly know. This wasn’t her fault, but she had done nothing to stop it. She thought that if she had seen Leah sooner and approached her before she had gotten spotted with that boy by the crazy girl some of this could have been prevented.

But instead Adlai stood by, watched and kept her head down like she always has. Like she was taught to do by her family. After all, as her mother had said, “If you get into the trouble of others, you’ll end looking for your own.”

Leaving the thread with @Leah Isbell

Everything was happening so quickly, but at least she had Thora now to help with the pressure. She'd seen all sorts of injuries at sea, but nothing quite like this. She seemed to operating on a kind of auto-pilot just to make it through for Dymph. But her small fingers could only hold on for so long--this was harder than CPR--and Thora's aid was welcome, especially now that she was determined to stay. And it was just then that out of the darkness came a loud, booming voice: "RUTHIE! THORA! IT'S ME, GRIS!"

As the figure came nearer, the space buns were immediately recognizable: the girl from the owlery. Older, a Prefect, and Chaser, if there ever was a hero, Gris Edelhardt was it. All she needed was a sword and a white horse. But no matter what she came with or without, Ruthie was glad to see her as a soft smile crept up on her face. It would have been wider, but the stress was getting to her. But Gris, the brave girl she was, had a plan, which basically comprised of Gris being a meat shield. It was when the Gryffindor apologized for what happened on the field several weeks ago that Ruthie finally perked up. It was lucky Thora had her hand on Dymph's abdomen because Ruthie would have let go. "Jorah," she said rhetorically, "You can get to Jorah?"

She could hear Thora asking for a confirmation. The blonde nodded, "Yes, sounds good," as she thought about how she might be able to reach her best friend in the midst of the chaos. She wasn't planning on abandoning Dymph--she was unconscious now and clearly not in great shape--but she knew she'd regret it if she didn't make sure Jorah was okay. After all, this entire thing was her fault as coming to ball was her idea in the first place.

And that was when and older boy appeared (Oliver) clearly concerned and determined to help Dymph. Ruthie looked across to Thora to see if she knew him, but before they could say anything the boy had grabbed the third year girl's ankles. But his attempt to carry her out soon got overtaken by a new plan to use Wingardium Leviosa on the girl's dress. Wand in hand, he had cast, but the only thing that happened was a flutter of Dymph's skirt up in the air. Ruthie tried to look away--she didn't want to have a memory of their team Keeper exposed like that. When she looked back at the boy, it was clear he was bleeding from his nose. She ripped another, smaller piece of the table cloth and offered it to him. "Here. Did you want to try that again or should we just carry her?" Maybe Thora or Gris would have an idea of the best course. Perhaps it was their original plan.

She gave a confident--or as confident as possible--glance at her colleagues. It was go-time. But before she was ready to lift one of Dymph's arms onto her shoulder and follow Gris closely out into the fray, she ducked her head up to catch a glimpse of Jorah and Adam. And that--that was when she saw it happen. Some girl--it had to be a student because they were nowhere large enough to be one of the giants--was running around with a knife, clearly intended for a giant. And yet, in what remained of the smoke she seemed to bypass the giant entirely and hit right towards him, the one person who'd been in harm's way since the start, the one person she couldn't bear to lose. "Oh, my god," she whispered, defaulting to a muggle colloquialism, as she saw the knife plunge into the back of his suit jacket. That overly expensive suit jacket that he looked wonderful in. "Oh, my god!" she shrieked, loud this time, as she felt her heart crinkle inside her chest. And that was when she charged, running forward ahead of the group with whom she'd planned so delicately, and if any of them should try to hold her back, she batted their arms away, desperate to be moving forward.

And eventually she got there, but he was already unconscious--a fallen soldier. Sitting beside him, she looked over the knife puncture, but knew better than to try and take it out. Nervously, she tore across the hem over her own dress to create a scrape bandage to stop the bleeding as she had done with Dymph. But unlike before, her hands were shaking. She couldn't screw up before, but she really couldn't mess this up. Who would she practice Quidditch with? Who would she cheer on Portree with? Who would she make fun of for his insane breakfast portions? Who--who--if he--if--he didn't make it. "Merlin," she cursed, holding the fabric tight. She wanted to carry him out, but he was much too strong, too heavy. She'd need help. Looking up and around it was still chaos, but somewhere were the friends she'd recklessly abandoned. "Adam! Gris! Thora!" she yelled, hoping one of them would forgive her for running off, hoping one of them would arrive in time. And so she sat, each second more excruciating than the last, while a single tear rolled down the side of her cheek.

Tag: @Griseldis Edelhardt, @Thora Larkston, @Adam Harringtom & @Oliver Hart
Mention: @Jorah Moussa & @Dymphna Teague

Chris's cry out for Illowy to run, to find away out, was lost in it's attempt to reach the lass. There was too much noise, too much confusion, too much of everything for his words to even have a hope of reaching her; and even if they had, Illowy was much too stubborn to listen. Of course she knew how to run, but she hated it. She hated feeling like a coward, which was an emotion she already felt like she had an excess off trying to find her footing among the chaos of this battle.

The fog was slowly starting to lift, but chaos was still ensuing it seemed. Illowy felt like it was a dance in and of itself to narrowly avoid people running, people fighting, dodging spells and ducking from thrown objects. Or perhaps it wasn't that she was searching to help fight, but searching for confirmation along the front lines that the people she cared about were okay.

Eventually, one of the half-giants fell and was bound... though she couldn't help but question for how long. The other seemed fairly incapacitated, but even so, she still wondered how long it would be before she got up again. Perhaps in the faint moment of more-or-less pause...

The girl spun around a bit, searching as quickly as she could through the mists and haze, sifting through the mess of rubble and people as swiftly as she could until she found the familiar figure, "Chris!" she wondered if he could even hear her. Without question or hesitation, she started for him and the others surrounding him. A sight they were, she figured, disheveled from the chaos. She, herself, had tendrils of dark curls around her shoulders that had fallen from their original configuration. The dress was arguably salvageable, mask and gloves long gone. Icy hues looked the boy over a moment before they flecked around, nervous to more potental danger, "Are you hurt?" the last sight she'd had of him was his charging into smoke and fire with some sort of makeshift spear in hand. Leaving her behind.

Interacting with @Adlai Rod

Leah frowned as her friend apologised to her, but decided that they should discuss it later.

"If you're sure," she said in response to Adlai's request to go back to the common room. "Let's get out of here and find someone to heal you. The Hospital Wing would be useful, but I suppose it's crowded now."

She briefly remembered a fight that occured what felt like hours ago, with blood and crying and emotions running high. At the time, she had thought it was the most interesting thing to have happened that night, and had sought answers and friendship from an old acquaintance.

Now, however, it seemed that she had seen far worse.

She turned to take one last look at the ballroom, where the fog had cleared to reveal dying fire, students attacking what seemed to be half-giants, people bleeding and unconscious and hiding and fighting... Should she stay and help now that she could?

But no - most of those casting spells were failing, and students far stronger than Leah were already intervening. And somewhere, amid the chaos, the teachers had to be helping.

Her mind drifted back to the Hospital Wing briefly, and she faintly remembered that there would be victims and perpetrators from both fights (including the one she had been dragged into) there, possibly still arguing or fighting or worse. As much as she wanted answers and to help, her priority right now had to be her friend.

After a final glance at the mess that the door had once been, where a familiar cat seemed to be, she nodded at Adlai.

"Ok, let's go," she said, and started to leave, her best friend firmly in her protection.

Leaves thread with @Adlai Rod unless stopped

Xailah was a odd little creature to say the least. The things she did never really made any sense from an outsiders perspective. But on occasion she would come across a few strange folk that could, or at least try to relate to her. And while her actions seemed out of the blue at times, there was always a reason for them- whether they are reasons, is subjective. Her charge came to a sudden halt when her target began to teeter, and eventually fell. She had nothing to worry about anymore. He was down. Hopefully he was dead too- she had no way of telling, for she was never taught how to check for a pulse. Schrödinger was no longer in the midst of the chaos, therefore he was safe. Presumably. Everything was okay now. She could just up and leave.

Only it wasn't okay, and she couldn't leave. She had questions, she didn't plan on having them go unanswered. She had an opportunity to quench her curiosity, and she wasn't going to give it up. She ran to the fallen giant, and latched her little meat-hooks onto his cape. Now, she wasn't physically strong by any means, but that wasn't going to stop her- she was crazed, she couldn't be stopped. She would eventually figure out how to get her answers, regardless of the consequences- and the possible toll that it might have on her back. She was going to try to hide him. A upturned table would possibly provide as a nice place to hide a presumably dead half-giant.

Interactions: @Ruthie Greer @Griseldis Edelhardt @Oliver Hart @Dymphna Teague (unconscious) @Jorah Moussa  (unconscious)

There was too much going on, too many things overloading Thora's brain whose capacity could typically take quite a bit. Dymphna's breaths were becoming shallower by the second. Thora was beginning to fear death for the pretty Ravenclaw as it was hard to believe that it was even possible to lose this amount of blood and live. Thora's brown boots were now scuffed and stained bright crimson with the thick blood conquering the dance floor but she didn't care. Dymphna had to live. Nothing else mattered.

Bandages erupted from the edge of her wand and began wrapping themselves around Dymphna's torso. Finally. Thora carefully removed her sticky, bloody hands from the wound. Hopefully the bandages would keep the bleeding to a minimal and she could take a break from the rather difficult--and stressful--job of making sure Dymphna didn't bleed to death. A quick sigh of relief escaped Thora's lips. Ferula had worked far better than she had expected, as it was a third year spell and the Slytherin typically didn't do well in the heat of the moment. Dymphna would still need to be taken care of, though, and carrying her out didn't seem to be the best option... 

At least until a rather round boy made his way over to the group gathering around the fallen girl, freaking out and desperately trying to help. Ruthie shot Thora a glance as if asking whether she knew the stranger, so Thora shook her head. "I have no clue," she mouthed. Hopefully Ruthie would get the message. Thora grimaced as the boy grabbed at Dymphna's ankles, trying to drag the poor girl out. He changed his mind, though, and attempted a Levitation charm on her. To Thora's--and probably everyone else watching--dismay, Dymphna's blood-stained but still beautiful green dress flew up. Following Ruthie's example, Thora quickly glanced up. She didn't know the Ravenclaw third year and didn't need such a first impression of the girl who actually seemed quite nice.

And finally, finally, when the girl looked up, something amazing met her eyes. Something that was actually going right tonight. A path seemed to have been cleared by magic, seeming to blaze across the ballroom and through the door. With the wealth of things and magic going on, Thora had no idea where the path had come from or who had cleared it. Thank goodness for whoever who had managed to create their escape route that would ultimately make their plan possible. 

Leaning back on her heels, Thora looked back at her older charge, as she now protectively thought of Dymphna as for the moment. As Ruthie asked the newcomer whether he planned to carry out the blonde or try Leviosa again, Thora jumped in. "I think we should just stick to carrying her out, unless one of you guys thinks otherwise," she generalized the conversation to whoever was trying to help. Although she was not typically one to interrupt and state her opinion, Thora couldn't help it. They did have to somewhat protect Dymphna's dignity, because she was already unconscious and exposed on the floor. Not exactly the best position to be in a magical school with some half-giants. 

"I'll get Dymphna's ankles, then?" Thora said and followed through as Ruthie grabbed hold of one of the blonde's arms, clearly thinking along the same lines as Thora. It was awkward, grabbing someone's ankles without asking, but someone needed to do that, right? They needed to take advantage of this opening that had been given to them and get Dymphna out of here. Time to go. That is, until Ruthie dropped the girl's arm--thankfully not too hard--and shrieked out a "Oh, my god," before sprinting past Thora to an unseen target. What was happening? Thora wasn't exactly sure any more who was at her side. 

Releasing Dymphna gently onto the ground, she glanced back at the rotund boy who didn't seem to be of much use... until Thora thought of one. "Um, I don't know your name, but could you take Dymphna to the Hospital Wing without doing any further damage, please? If you need any help ask someone, I guess... And keep her real steady, please," a torrent of words that otherwise would have never made it out her tightly sealed mouth exploded as the girl stated the obvious out of nervousness. 

Where did Ruthie go? A scream just off her right alerted her to the younger Ravenclaw, who was sitting next to another fallen, unmoving body. The worst part was the knife sticking out of the corpse-like figure. She ran over to Ruthie's side, fearing the worst. It was a good thing she had done that, because the sight that met her eyes was competing for the goriest scene Thora had seen yet tonight--not as bad as Dymphna yet, but still pretty horrific. "What happened?" she whispered, feeling horrible as a tear streaked down Ruthie's face. She clearly cared for this boy, and Thora needed to help, once again. 

It wasn't her intention to appear as the ultimate savior, but Thora knew that she would never forgive herself for ignoring a problem, especially when one's life was on the line. Drawing her aspen wand once again, Thora prepared to perform her bandaging magic on the young boy. The snek's hand quivered just once. Should she take out the knife first? Withdrawing her hand quickly, Thora gripped her wand instead. As she saw with Dymphna, taking out the impaling object was not the way to go. Wherever the knife had stabbed Jorah, it wasn't safe to remove the knife. He would probably bleed to death.

An eerie calm settled over Thora although she felt the weight of someone's life resting on her shoulders once more. "Ferula." fer-ROOL-lah she incanted, tapping Jorah as lightly as she could. Then, all she could do was sit and wait, willing the bandages to appear. "It'll be fine, Ruthie," Thora tried to push more confidence into her empty tone. It'll be fine. She found herself thinking for the hundredth time tonight. Hopefully Dymphna would be taken care of. She needed to stay here for now.

Action: Cast the Bandaging Charm on Jorah Moussa

Interactions: Open (though do note Jay fell asleep)

Jay sat up with force all of a sudden, this caused them to hit the table with the top of their head. It must of looked odd from an outsiders view, a table moving up like that? Though, to be honest no one was probably paying attention... Jay then laid back down, rubbing their forehead in pain, it was definitely going to leave a bruise, great... another bruise... on my face... they thought. They already had bruises from falling down, punching walls, and being bullied by older students, they had bruises all over them- except for their face. It was something they were proud of. But here they were, with a new bruise on their forehead.


The smell of drying blood didn’t really bother them much, it was most likely because of the strong smoke smell, and the fact that they were used to smelling blood. It wasn’t that they were always getting cuts and scratches, it was because in some rooms and areas of the Victoria manor there would be these random sudden smells that stuck there for a few days and then suddenly disappear. Obviously, Jay knew animals and humans would sometimes get killed... or tortured at least, so they knew that the smells came from them.

They missed their pocket knife, yes, they had a wand but they cared a bit more for their pocket knife. The pocket knife was a token of safety. Jay began to think more, if they waited for the chaos to die down perhaps they could later on go out and grab their probably now very bloody knife. Hopefully whoever they stabbed died passed out so that they don’t have to deal with fighting for their knife back or looking for the person.

Jay yawned, they were quite indeed a bit tired, for once their insomnia wasn’t affecting them! What time was it? It didn’t matter... without another thought Jay closed their eyes and fell asleep amongst the ballroom mayhem. 

♦ 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖘
Stamina:    2

Evasion:      6
Strength:  9
Wisdom:    6
ArcPower:  9
Accuracy:  8

LAMIKS PERSPECTIVE
-----------------------------
Interacting with: @Jake Morris @Aideen Ryan

Mentioning: @Saskia Nicholson @Elaine Pendrast

It seemed that as soon as the smoke came, it dissapeared. Though unhindered by the dark cloud, Lamik was still felt relieved as the burning sensation in his lungs and the stinging in his eyes subsided. The gryffindor reached the door, still pulling Jake along with him in one arm and trying to pull Aideen with the other. If she wasnt already outside, Lamik would come back soon to find Saskia. If she had left, the boy knew he could trust his head of house to deal with whatever had just happened. "Jake- Jake listen to me. I need you to be brave. I need you to run to your dorm room alone. Youll be safe there, I think. I have to go find Saskia."

________________________________

NOVUS'S PERSPECTIVE
---------‐---------‐---------
Interacts with: @Astrea Soleil Neptune

Mentions: @Elaine Pendrast @Dymphna Teague

Novus sighed in relief as the smoke cleared, looking around him quickly to search for anyone injured. From what he could tell, one of the Hogwarts professors had cleared it- he was pretty sure that it was one of those who he had spoken with earlier. The boy recoiled when he saw a small group gathered around what looked to be a girl impaled by a makeshift spear. Novus tried grabbing Astreas arm to get her attention. "Im not going to lie and say that I want to be the one to help her, but it does seem like people are already taking care of that. Maybe we could help clear rubble instead? That seems like it would be... somewhat helpful, at least." Novus aimed his wand at the nearest piece of wreckage, be it a chair, table, or puddle of tears. "Wingardium Leviosa." He said. If the spell were to be succesfull the boy would attempt to set the object down out of the way and against the nearest wall.

This is a double post for Bridget Collins (1st post) and dNPC Phylicia Stanwood (2nd post).

Role-playing as [font=Tempus Sans ITC]Bridget Collins[/font] || Interacting with no one (although interactions are open) || Mentions @Dymphna Teague, @Jorah Moussa, @Ruthie Greer, and @Thora Larkston

Bridget sighed in relief when she saw that her Extinguishing Charm worked this time, helping to put out the last of the fires. At least that was one less thing for everyone to worry about. Besides, when she breathed back in she found another appreciated surprise--the smoke was gone. The damage on her lungs had already been done, of course, but at least for now she wouldn't have to fret about suffocating.

The small girl shakily rose to her feet, wincing. She decided she never wanted to be impacted by a flying human again. What was she going to do now? Her part of the ballroom was more or less deserted. And where was Thora? Perhaps she had gotten out, but then again, Thora was generally really nice and super smart, so the other Slytherin likely felt like she had to stay and help. Bridget wanted to help too, but there was nothing for her over here. Heading towards the exit seemed like the next logical step. There was bound to be more action that way, and even if all she did was flee the chaotic room that would be better than nothing. Her mind made up, the brunette started to carefully make her way to the open doors as fast as possible.

She was just about to pass one of the numerous overturned tables when she saw it. Crimson and liquid and in terrifying amounts. Blood. Bridget felt dizzy and the room started spinning and it was all she could do to stay on her feet. She didn't bother looking behind the table. Not knowing was better. Whoever was just beyond the piece of wood could quite possibly be dead. Someone could be dead. The thought was horrifying. Although she knew from the second the fire had started the ballroom was far from safe and injuries would almost certainly be sustained, she had never even stopped to consider that someone could actually die. She shook her head as if in an attempt to uproot the idea that had taken hold.

Before she even realized what she was doing, her legs carried her away from the scene in a sprint, right towards where all the action was. Earlier she had seen the half-giants from afar and even though she still kept her distance, this time she could see how monstrous the beings looked. She was just getting back some sense and wondering what exactly she was going to do when she noticed two girls running towards a boy with a knife in his back. And one of them was Thora. Another person was stabbed? Blood pumped in her ears as she hastily decided what to do. The giant was bound, but the group wasn't too far away and more focused on saving the bloodied person than protecting themselves. They needed a distraction, and besides, that would help the people attacking the giant too.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Bridget pronounced, aiming the spell at a tablecloth that hadn't been consumed by the flames. If the charm succeeded, she would try and maneuver the cloth so it hung in the giants face and hopefully distract him.

Action: Cast the Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) at a tablecloth in an attempt to lift it to the giant's face and distract him.

Role-playing as [font=Bradley Hand ITC]dNPC Phylicia Stanwood[/font] || Interacting with @Thora Larkston (Karilyna Kawahara) and @Teiki Laurent (Astrid Kovac)

Before Phyllis could answer Astrid's question of what they were going to do with an honest "I have no clue", the Thunderbird dashed towards the nearest giant with her splinter held like a dagger of sorts. Anyone could have probably pointed out a long list of reasons why such an action was incredibly stupid, but it was kind of her turn to rush into danger on a whim. Luckily the giant fell, hopefully harmless, before Astrid got there. What would she going to do without her nickname spewing friend? 'Thun-DOOR-bird' was way better than what she'd come up with, although she was definitely not going to use it because Karilyna would probably strangle her.

"Hey, Astrid, come back!" Phyllis yelled, beckoning with her hand for her to join them. Once they were all back, or if Astrid tells them she's going to do something else Phyllis scanned the room again. Things were pretty crazy and none of them could really do anything to help. Sure, they could try what Astrid did and try to stab people way bigger than them, but honestly, chances were they'd just get hurt. Coming back into the ballroom hadn't been her idea anyway and the decision was looking worse with every second.

Taking a breath in preparation to, if necessary, argue her point, Phyllis started. "Uh, guys, I think we should probably go. I don't really see how we can help..." She was careful not to include that if they hurried they could still ask for directions to the Hospital Wing. Once she had gotten the trio out of there, then she'd mention it but leave it up to Karilyna. She knew her friend wasn't a wimp and mentioning that would probably make getting her out of there harder, but seriously, Phyllis was worried. This was no place for any of them, injured or not.

"C'mon, let's go." With one last nod towards the door to communicate that they should leave, Phyllis stepped back into the hallway, walking away from the disaster and hoping her friends would follow. While they still could.

Phylicia Stanwood (dNPC) exits the thread unless she needs to be stopped.