The Masquerade Ball Event Closed

Interactions: @Dymphna Teague

Oliver watched as Galton evaded his attack and proceeded to attack Hugh. It happened in an instant, Oliver's reaction time was usually horribly slow but this entire evening had him fully alert. Oliver managed to take hold of Dymphna by the shoulders as she fell. He dropped to his knees so her head could rest on his two pillow-like thighs.

At this point, Oliver was sobbing crying. A steady stream of snot was running into his mouth, which is tongue lapped up. His cheeks were felt like soaked sponges. He just wanted Dymphna okay, everything seemed against her safety. He looked at her, wrapping his blazer around her cozily tight before shaking his head.
He grew in an instant furious and his brows furrowed. This wasn't anytime for a man to cry! Giving up didn't exist in a matter of life and death. Especially when it came to a true love! Oliver took Dymphna and pulled her over his shoulder. He heaved her with all his might till he had her bent over his chubby socket.
I can DO THIS!

Oliver begun to stand, holding onto Dymphna. His legs shakes rapidly as they powered all his strength just to stand. As soon as Oliver got up straight with Dymphna over arm, he was already gasping for air. Sweat had created a waterfall running down his face and flowing off his chin.
Oliver raised his foot and instantly wobbled. He couldn't hold much weight beyond his own. This was a true test of Oliver's stamina.

The desperate child released a roar as he attempted another step. It progressed to the point where Oliver was yelling mightily with each forward movement.
If Oliver was to stumble, he'd hold onto Dymphna and slow his landing with his other arm. He'd continue to move even if grounded, crawling towards the door. There was nothing that could stop Oliver, his engine was filled to the brim and he was on full blast.
"I'LL GET YOU THERE, DYMPHNA! GOD DAMN IT!" he bellowed as his muscles ached dangerously. Oliver felt like dying and he had only taken a handful of steps. His stomach wanted to wrench up but even it knew Oliver was performing a once in his lifetime feat. He would never give up.

Action: Pickup and carry Dymphna towards exit.

Serena slowly moved her way through the smoke. Hopefully, she was going in the correct direction of the door. Suddenly, the smoke cleared the room. When Serena saw the state the ballroom was in, she gasped.

A girl was lying down by a table. And blood…there was so much blood… Serena’s stomach churned at the sight. She wanted to help the girl, but what could she do? She was only eleven! The most she could do was make someone dance and repair elementary objects! Neither of those spells would stop the bleeding!

Serena forced herself to turn away as she saw the unconscious girl getting help. The best thing for Serena to do was to leave the ballroom and get herself out of harm’s way. She trudged towards the door that was now plainly in sight. And it was open!

As Serena continued her way towards the door, her legs began to cry out in pain. They must have been burned from when her dress caught on fire. Tears formed in her eyes as she forced her legs to keep moving. All she could focus on was getting the hell out of here.

Come on! You’re so close! She encouraged herself.

After what felt like an eternity, Serena made it towards the door. Giving her legs one final push, she exited the ballroom. Now she just had to get to the Hospital Wing.

Action: Serena Bowen leaves the thread unless stopped.

Mentions @Galton Lansdale | @Hugh Lowe

Out of nowhere, a small boy appeared and attacked Hugh, pulling out strands of hair. Heck, Nico wasn't fast enough. The blood that dripped out of the Ravenclaw girl had made her reflexes abit numb. Before she could ask if Hugh was okey, the small gremlin scittered over to her.

'W-Wh-!' He got her confused. It was unnatural. Setting a few steps back she tried to recollect her thoughts until he seemed to look at her as if she was something edible. Huh... Is this how it feels to be hunted by a Dhampir? It wasn't really his presence that was intimidating but the way he was convinced she would taste good. The saliva that slid down his chin was disgusting and made a shiver run up her spine.

Like a wild animal, he'd lunge at her aiming for her fingers with his mouth. However, her survival instincts awakened once more and she swiftly hid her hands within her scarf. What would he do now?
Her iceblue eyes glared at him but... he was already chasing someone else. That could be trouble. And trouble there was. Big trouble. The size of a half-giant.

Hugh was mad. Looking back at the Scott, she could nearly hear his furious heartbeat. The dhampir had never seen her friend like this. As the Candy Boy had already run over to another girl, Hugh went in persue. With heavy stomping feet he'd grab hold of the boy.

Carefully, Nico followed her friend. She had no one else she could rely on right now. It seemed the Giants were taken care of. Everything would've calmed down. Until this so called Candy King came along. It was horrible what he did to Hugh. Who knows who else became victim to his strange obsession...

As soon as Hugh started raging, everyone in the room knew they had to do something: stop the candy king and Hugh. Nico wasn't sure what she could do... But as a Prefect she had to try atleast. She had to protect her friend from himself.

With her arms, she tried to hug him from behind, holding on with the little strength she had.
'H-Hugh! Listen! It's awful what he did! He even scares me! But you're better than this! Stop, you're going to get yourself hurt... Y-You could even hurt others!'

Action: Attempts to calm Hugh down. If eh... he doesn't throw her off while raging.

The Final Ballgoers



@Lamik Fillestar tried to comfort @Jake Morris. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone. He was a liar. Well, he honored the letter of his word but not how the intent sounded. He tried to summon @Saskia Nicholson. Lamik wanted Saskia to take Jake to the common room. The common room represented safety. Indeed, the common room limited the opportunities for danger. Hufflepuff was protected by @Caradoc Browne, their Head of House. Professor Browne was a powerful wizard in his own right, but in addition to Head of House Browne there was the fact that only those that knew how to enter the Hufflepuff burrow could get inside. 



Saskia could not take Jake, she was in the middle of a fight and an eventual assault. What was Lamik thinking? She had a crazy person to deal with. Lamik was on his own with Jake. Jake would cling to Lamik.



@Serena Towers attempted to continue to inch Jay towards the door. She was going to save someone, help someone. Well, she thought she would at least. She was very… very wrong. There was no appreciation, only crazy. Jay was unhappy with the rescue attempt. In Jay’s defense, Jay was acting as a glorified Swiffer so every bit of debris on the floor that was in Jay’s path was now piled in front of their person.



@Serena Towers probably should have left, if her help was not going to be accepted then why stay? Well, there were other people that needed her help. @Serena Davies was still on the ground and so wasn’t @Dymphna Teague. Hugh had just dropped Dymphna when he was assailed by @Galton Lansdale. Dymphna's bandages were holding up to the blood loss poorly. Serena Towers would rush over to Dymphna’s side, not knowing who was going to save Serena Davies. Serena Towers could only choose one and she would likely be ever haunted as she wondered if she had chosen right, not that she would help either ultimately. If she saved the one that was truly more hurt, or at least tried she might have been able to live with herself and her choice. What could she do? A bottle of milk was a challenge for the girl to carry. She was never going to be able to drag the part-Veela to safety. Serena chose the third option: neither of them. [Continued in “The Candy King”]



@Illowy Magnard was one of the lucky ones. She was safe, her lungs might burn, her hair might smell smoke and her dress was perhaps slightly singed. Her friend, @Christopher Madson was also safe but the same could not be said of @Jorah Moussa. The universe seemed to focus on the young Ravenclaw in particular, the part giants and friendly fire were enough to do the young man in. She would never forget what @Dan Palmer did with that shoe, there were some things that could not be unseen. [Continued in “The Candy King”]



Christopher Madson would notice Serena Davies unmoving on the floor. Nothing had happened to her, she was just unconscious. The boy would summon Illowy Magnard to help, any burden was lessened with two rather than one. She would not come. Christopher would try to lift Serena up.

Christopher Madson attempts to pick up Serena Davies. Roll: 13

Christopher was strong enough to lift Serena on his own. She was not particularly heavy, nor was her body slick with blood. She was, however filthy. Laying herself out on that floor meant she took with her charred bits of ruined décor and furniture, hunks of dirt and dust as well as some debris.



Serena would rouse as she was partially lifted. Christoher would get no help from Illowy, but he did not need it.



“Mommy?”



And just like that @Christopher Madson was a mother. If he was not careful Serena might imprint on him. @Serena Bowen would pass them both by, there was no need for her to help from her perspective. Christopher Madson and Serena Davies would be fine without her intervention. Everyone would be fine, right? There was a madman running a muck still but surely the others who had not already left would manage to subdue him. There were several students rendered unconscious. The floor a mixture of debris, char and what appeared to be blood.

Serena Bowen left topic

@Bridget Collins would witness @Dan Palmer plunging a heel into the eye (and the soft, vascular brain behind). A hemorrhagic event in the brain, starting from the frontal lobe and quickly effecting the rest as the rigid skull compressed the viable brain that remained.  She would see fallen students on the ground. She would see @Galton Lansdale, the crazed child attack; the other students. For those that knew Galton, they would know that this was not normal for the boy. However, Bridget was not going to stay. She was not going to save anyone else. She was not going to risk herself. She left.

Bridget Collins left.

@Oliver Hart was the only one that stayed with @Dymphna Teague. The other girls had abandoned her, while a few considered helping the girl that was bleeding out onto the floor, most of them chose to leave, another or the glory of combat. Oliver was the only one that stayed at her side. Oliver Hart as not a very strong boy. Oliver wanted to be strong, he just was not built that way. He lacked the natural drive to try physically. But for that important person, some are willing and able to change.

Oliver attempts to lift Dymphna 17

Oliver Hart would slide his hands under Dymphna. She did not feel very warm anymore. The bandages felt moist, they were insufficient in holding back the blood she was still steadily losing. A squat. No humorous rip or toot (probably), Oliver would feel the weight in his knees and the strain in his thighs as he tried to lift her, keeping the girl’s cold body close to his own. A tight enough of a grip, this would have been the first time he had embraced her. The first time that he had held her. Hopefully this would not be the last. The door was not far, @Hugh Lowe had taken her part of the way already. Then it was a journey through the crowded hall to the medical wing. And then… and then, just maybe she would be OK.

Oliver successfully lifts Dymphna and exits the topic.

The Candy King



@Galton Lansdale was out of his mind, in his delirious state he saw a world of delights and himself the master of this universe. It was his right. It was within his power. He was being cheered on. But that reality was in his head differed from the actual ballroom. The injured were being carried from the ballroom. A pair of part-giants had died. @Xailah Alptraum even checked the body of one of them, there was no response. Yes, he was certainly dead, there was no mistaking it. The fire-singed floor and smoke-filled air was a stark contrast with the reality Galton saw. For a short time, the Gryffindor knew bliss, the product of his juvenile desires before him – admiration and power over a saccharine kingdom if he took his due.



A tithe to their new Lord. He would climb @Hugh Lowe, one of the heroes carrying a damsel to safety. Ripped out by their roots, Galton would pull Hugh’s sideburn from the side of his head with his teeth. Galton tasted fruity sweetness as he swallowed the hair hungerly. Dumbfounded at the suddenness of it all, it would take a moment for Hugh to realize what had happened. That raw sting he would feel along the side of his face. The fact that a maddened child had scaled the teen and ripped the hair from his face leaving a large, pink, bare patch on the side of his face.



Hugh was enraged. Uncharacteristic for the gentle youth, his temper had finally shown. He was riding the chaos that the hags so desired inserting the delirious child into the ball. Rage and fear dictated his actions as he moved to throttle Galton.

Hugh attempts to grab Galton: 5 + 7
Galton attempts to evade: 9 + 6

Hugh's long arms would miss the wily youth. Jurgen's words would mean nothing to the berserker as Hugh Lowe rushed Galton. Jurgen would try to grab hold of Hugh. Dymphna Teage was still unconscious on the ground at Hugh's feet. 

Jurgen attempts to grab Hugh 7 + 10
Hugh evades Jurgen 15 + 1

Jurgen Hess would attempt to trip Hugh by wrapping himself around @Hugh Lowe’s legs. Jurgen's arms would wrap around Hugh's legs and Jurgen would attempt to grip his own wrists and bind the part giant. Jurgen’s tiny boy muscles would try to restrain the part-giant who was in a rage. The scene was quite unusual, this small boy attempting to wrestle the much larger teen…

Jurgen strength check to physically grapple. 13 + 4
Hugh strength check to fling Jurgen off. 2 + 10 (*1.2)

The power of fear does incredible things as the very unlikely transpired and Jurgen somehow overpowered Hugh Lowe. Jurgen gripped his wrists and locked the part-giant in place. It would not last long more than likely and he might have signed his own death warrant with this suicidal act. Jurgen would not be able to hold Hugh for long, Hugh Lowe was so much stronger than Jurgen, but the brave Gryffindor had to try. It was like something out of a Shonen, if he tried hard enough, he would succeed.  Such luck would not last forever. 



@Nico Shymane would come to the unlikely scene where there was a much smaller teen wrapped around Hugh’s legs refusing to allow himself to be pried off and the knowledge that a single hard bludgeon from Hugh’s meaty fist would sent the already exhausted and badly burnt boy who was actually in need of medical treatment himself, into a coma. Nico would beg Hugh to calm down as would Jurgen. Hopefully someone would break through.



@Galton Lansdale would scurry off. Galton would have been safe without Jurgen’s foolish intervention as Jurgen tried to save Galton. 



Galton was ranting something about his crown being lost. Cursing the masses, those who had leveled their wands against him. The gravest of insults ‘barf-flavored beans’, like earwax or poo flavored, there was no place for such flavors in his bag of treats. 



Galton was attracted to @Lamik Fillestar’s not-girlfriend, @Saskia Nicholson. There was something about those lips that just seemed appetizing, Galton and Lamik had similar tastes it would seem. Not nearly as difficult to scale as Hugh, Galton would attempt to grab the girl by the shoulders and with a great, loud slurp give Saskia perhaps the worst ever first kiss.

Galton attempts to lick/bite Saskia’s lips. 20 + 8 Crit
Saskia attempts to avoid Galton’s kiss. 10 + 6

Critically successful, yeah it was a first kiss with tongue and a bit of a bite. She was a bit too young for such passion and so was Galton. A bit of harm did come to her pillowy lips (sorry Lamik) as a bit of blood was drawn. Galton was one of those men that licks it and then leaves it apparently, he was already fleeing the scene of his first stolen kiss when Saskia attempted to grab hold of him either to continue their moment of passion or to beat the sugary snot out of him.

Saskia attempts to tackle Galton 18 + 5
Galton attempts to evade 13 + 6

Saskia would grab Galton by his arm and attempt to spin him around, facing AWAY from her and force him onto the ground. She was significantly stronger than the Gryffindor, however he had the power of candy and anime on his side.

Strength Check:
Saskia 1 Critical Fail
Galton 7

Saskia was not fortunate today, her hand slipped. As she tried to force him down onto his knees. She would face plant, seeing stars as her forehead bounced off the ground. There was a loud CRACK. The noise could be heard from far away. A lesser student would have been rendered unconscious by the blow. She nearly was by her self-inflicted harm. She would find herself pained and dizzy and only a few health points left but thankfully no additional threats



@Thora Larkson would witness the near-success but ultimate failure that was Saskia and Galton's moment. Saskia did not put Galton down, but she nearly rendered herself unconscious as the girl’s cranium bounced off the hard-stone floor. Thora decided to cast Wingardium Leviosa but she overestimated the spell’s power. Like the inventor of this spell, Jarleth Hobart, Thora thought that she could levitate a person. The clothes most certainly, but not the boy. Not that Galton was a large person, but he was also not a small child either. The mass was beyond the scope of the spell, at least at her skill level. 



She would shout the spells name but there would not be an appreciable effect on Galton. 



“Tarantallegra!” 



@Katrina Walker would shout as she pointed her wand at Galton.

Katrina attempts to cast Tarantallegra on Galton 12 + 5
Galton attempts to evade 17 + 6

Katrina missed and a nearby three-legged chair would start doing to jig. Her attempt to stop the boy had only earned her Galton's attention. Hungry for… wood, Galton would attempt to lick the wand in her hand from her wrist to its most distal tip before biting on the very end.

Galton attempts to bite Katrina’s wand. 5 + 8
Katrina tries to avoid Galton. 15 + 8

He missed, the structural integrity of her wand remained intact and her hand free of sticky Gryffindor slobber. The spray of drool would sail over her shoulder. 



"Rictusempra!"



@Dan Palmer cried. It might disable the boy. It might stop his mad reign.

Dan attacks Galton with Rictusempra 17 + 8
Galton attempts to evade 17 + 6

Not particularly painful, but somewhat disabling. The confectionery madness would not cease, but a rough cackle would escape Galton’s bloodstained lips. The aberrant cackle would make him appear even more mad, but also more reckless. (-1 to accuracy and evasion). Had he been reasonable he would have felt the disabling tickle and be left wheezing on the floor. Had he the mind for such things. No, Galton would move on. The madness simply compelled him!



@Illowy Magnard had something shiny and tasty on her person. Considering how his first kiss went, thankfully it was not a bejeweled dress. He would see something else that glittered – her bracelet. It was so shiny. So pretty. So… delectable. Sadly in the possession of another, but not if he stole it!

Galton attempts to bite/pull off Illowy’s bracelet with his teeth. 7 + 8 - 1
Illowy attempts to keep her bracelet. 6 + 6

Like a poorly trained dog snagging an unintended treat from their master’s hand, Galton would grab the bracelet in his teeth leaving only slobber and a few broken links in his wake. He would consume the bracelet whole. 



Illowy would try to push Galton back, knock him down or get back her bracelet. 

Illowy fights back 6 + 7 
Galton evades/resists 3 + 6 – 1 - 2

Illowy would push him back. The bracelet was already gone down his gullet with a single, hard swallow. In a few days’ time the bracelet would become relevant once again. She would push him away with he palms of her hands, causing him to stumble back (-2 to his evasion).



@Alan Noble had to do something, while the greatest threat (the part Giants) had been squashed there was still a single boy running a muck in the ballroom causing all sorts of chaos. If @Galton Lansdale did not hurt someone else, he was going to hurt himself at this point. Alan would cast green sparks, the end of his wand would erupt in a bright, verdant light. It was blinding. It did not just make Galton see stars, it would make everyone see stars as the bright light consumed their sight temporarily.

Everyone is temporarily blinded by Green Sparks.

It even effected [mentjon]Griseldis Edelhardt[/mention], but it affected her ability to aim as much as it effected Galton’s ability to evade attempts to subdue him. She would raise her wand and cast …



"Rictusempra!!"



Griseldis Edelhardt shouted her word of power.

Gris casts Rictusempra 16 + 6
Galton attempts to evade 6 + 8

Like @Dan Palmer, the attack would be true. The attack was not particularly damaging, albeit uncomfortable and more importantly but somewhat disabling. Gris would not save the boy king from this madness but that rough noise that was being uttered as a low guffaw would erupt into a disconcerting laugh that would replace the rumbling chuckle that was escaping his maw. (-1 accuracy and evasion)



@Serena Towers forgone helping @Dymphna Teague or @Serena Davies, Serena Towers needed to stop @Galton Lansdale so that @Hugh Lowe would calm down and help with the rescue efforts. Serena Towers had little choice. Serena drew her wand and pointed it at Galton.



“FLIPPENDO!”

Serena attempts to Flippendo Galton. 17 + 9 
Galton attempts to evade. 17 + 6 – 1 – 2 - 1

Her aim was true, and an unseen force would seemingly kick Galton in the ribs and launch him back several feet. He would crash into a nearby table and set of chairs. He was unconscious and unmoving once his head hit the edge of the table and broke a hunk of wood off. 

Galton has been rendered unconscious.

Xailah Says Farewell to her Lover


@Xailah Alptraum would pat the part giant down, checking his pockets. She would not find much in his pocket, just a small picture. Seems that he was a bit sentimental. It was a little girl, well little in comparison to him. She was small and blonde, and she was laughing. Yes, it was a wizard picture. There was also a small doll, made of straw and burlap. Golden straw and aged, rough burlap that was stitched with a fibrous, seemingly organic string. It was wrapped several times over in a silk cloth that was tied with a bow. In addition, there were a few small bits of… cake or some sort of pastry wrapped in cloth. The cake was dense and had a strange, not terribly offensive scent. It smelled like a sort of over-sweetened rum cake.

Xailah would arrange the body. His limbs would feel heavy, but they were still warm, but it was obvious when she saw the color of his flesh that he was dead. The mask of death once seen, was unmistakable. She would straighten him out, he was battered and bruised. Worst for the wear. His cloths, up close they were not nearly as fine as they were from far away. He likely did not have much wherever he came from.

Schrödinger was fine and would find Xailah again. The cat was not much help, but he was there for moral support. Able to now be tracked by scent alone Xailah would depart the scene.

Xailah left the topic.

The Headmaster

@Dan Palmer had just stabbed a man in the eye, a bound man unable to fight back. It crossed a number of lines for even the most calloused. A flash of green light left the tip of the Headmaster’s wand, suspicious of what? The killing curse in a serpentine pattern with the flourish of a wand. Well, that would have been easy enough to identify had he moved his wand at all. There was no wand movement and he certainly cast a silent spell, whatever it was.

He had approached Dan, placed a hand on his shoulder when the boy started freaking out. “Won’t work,” he announced with an eerie calm. “You’re in a room full of witnesses that know that you are full of shit. They see me and what little I have done to you and they have also seen how much you have done.” There was a pause. The boy was far from innocent, he was making another living being suffer in a cruel manner. His disappointment was not in the fact that the man died but that his suffering was over so quickly. In the kindest of realities his parents were going to have to sell all they owned to defend their boy from going away, never mind being expelled. And that was if the giant had survived. Oddly, a saving grace because dead men give no testimonies about the crippling pain both physical and psychological. About how they became a burden of society because of one child’s reckless blood lust.

Dan would yell out at Galton before he drew his wand. The boy was unstable and dangerous. He was going to get someone else killed, a greater threat than the maddened boy the Headmaster had only one option. 

“Depulso” He uttered with a raised wand pointed at the open door. 

Headmaster casts Depulso.11 + 20
Dan Palmer attempts to avoid 19 + 9

The spell would prove harmless, the boy would cast a spell aimed at Galton as he was slid out of the ballroom. As if there was a rope lassoed about his waist that dragged him away. Not before Dan cried out an attack of his own, not nearly as dangerous or as damaging as setting the youth on fire or severing his flesh would be. 

"Rictusempra!"

[Effect Seen in “The Candy King”]

RPing as: Saskia Nicholson

Mentions: Dan Palmer, Suspicious Headmaster | Interactions: None

Health: Almost knocked out but still standing
Status: Bleeding lips, smashed head, blinded by green sparks

She had one job. One damn job and she failed it spectacularly. Saskia would be laughing by now if everything didn't hurt so much. It felt like her head was split open with a hammer and that wasn't mentioning her lips. Of all the things she expected the crazy candy kid to do, she did not expect him to bite her lips. What the hell was his problem? It was bad enough that he was some weird cannibal kid who liked eating people for some reason, but seriously? It sounded too ridiculous to be true.

It might have even made a good story to tell the other kids too. 'Right, so my first kiss was with a rabid kid who literally licked and bit my lips off. It was hot. You should have seen it.' Yep. Great story there. Maybe it would have spiced the story up if she added the fact that she tried to tackle him to the ground and ended up hitting herself hard on the head. Merlin, that was embarrassing. She was supposed to be stronger than this kid, and yet she managed to slip and now her head felt like it was going to explode. Not in the mind-blowing way, but the I-just-slammed-my-head-against-the-ground-and-it-hurts-like-hell kind of way.

Everything else was a blur. Well, to be exact, everything was all green. Because someone decided to use the green sparks spell again. Great. Now she really couldn't see anything. Who thought it was a good idea to use it the second time around? Apparently someone did Could she blame them? They must have had a plan behind it. Maybe they wanted to distract the candy king kid, or something. Not that she could think too much about it at the moment.

She could still hear ringing in her ears, and this headache wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. It would have been smart if she went to the Hospital Wing. It was the most logical option, after all. Not only did she feel like crap, but she was most definitely in crap condition. She would have been able to get herself treated, go straight to her dorms, and pretend that none of this happened the next day.

Oh, who was she kidding? Sitting around was not like her. Not at all. Not even a stupid head bash would bring this girl down. Not even the searing pain in her lips. Galton may have been taken down, not that she could see it properly now, and that was assuming all those other kids were successful in their attacks, but things weren't done yet. There were still some injured people who needed to be taken to safety. The ballroom must have looked like a mess by now. Someone would have needed to clean that up. And... Wait. What was that?

If her eyes weren't deceiving her, she could have sworn she saw Dan, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, getting dragged out of the ballroom. What was going on? Was there another attacker? As if there weren't already enough dangerous people in the room. Saskia sighed to herself. This was, by far, one of the most exhausting nights so far. She couldn't think straight. Her head hurt. She couldn't even sit up. But she had to get up. Dan tried to save her with that tickling charm. She couldn't let him get hurt.

With all the possible strength she could muster, she managed to push herself off the ground. It was a bad move on her part. She was seeing stars by now. She could barely stand up straight without falling back down. But no, she had to do this. She couldn't let these stupid injuries hold her back. She needed to do this.

It was safe to say that she couldn't walk properly. It was hard to move, and the fact that she even got up was a miracle in itself. But she also couldn't afford to lose time. Dan was in danger, and who knew what would have happened to him? She had to hurry. Scurrying over to one of the chairs, she would attempt to hold onto it for support. Of course, it would have been entirely impractical if she tried to drag the chair with her as a makeshift crutch- that would have taken more effort than simply walking, after all. So now, she was stuck to walking this out on her own. Wonderful. Damn her for being stupid enough to crash her head on the floor.

But it didn't matter. Slowly but surely, she would try to walk out of the ballroom as fast as she could in an attempt to follow the Slytherin boy to wherever he went, in spite of her pain. She really needed to hurry now.

Actions: Following Dan out of the ballroom despite her injuries

Outfit: Dress | Mask | Shoes

Interactions: @Saskia Nicholson
Mentions: Dan Palmer; Headmaster
Health: Full
Status: Traumatized but otherwise fine

Thora realized her mistake as soon as the word left her mouth. Why the heck was she trying to use Leviosa, of all charms? She wasn't stupid. She had done the homework. In fact, Charms was one of her favorite subjects and the girl remembered almost every piece of homework she had done for that class in the past year or so. The homework she had completed following the class where she had learned the Levitation Charm had specifically been about an idiot. A certain Jarleth Hobart, the creator of the spell, had tried to make himself fly and had failed miserably. The crowd had pretty much shunned him as a failure. That's what Thora was. A failure. 

The Slytherin had easily been able to cast Ferula a couple times, a third year spell she technically should not have known. Yet, when she tried to cast a simple first year charm that was as easy as a swish and a flick, she had blown it. Shaking her head as if to physically remove the stupid defeat from her mind, Thora almost snorted in disgust at herself. Here she was, freaking out over a failed cast, while people around her were literally getting killed by another student. Speaking of which, Saskia... 

Thora watched in horror as the Hufflepuff was first bitten by the crazed boy and then fell, smashing her head on the floor. Merlin, what was wrong with this accursed boy? If he was under the influence of some dark magic, she could let it slip, but if this was how he normally was, Thora was scared. Why someone would ever act like this, she would never know.

Most of her, the rational part of her, told Thora to leave. To run. To flee from the ballroom and forget what had happened. But she couldn't bring herself to. True, she had already saved multiple people and some would say she had already done enough, but people still needed help. At least, until the crazy boy crashed. A well placed Flipendo had taken him down, and Thora glanced in thanks and relief in the direction of a certain girl [Serena Towers] whom the snek assumed had cast the spell. At least they were safe. 

Or, were they? The heavily armored man, whom Thora had originally assumed was the Headmaster, was dragging a boy out. Was she seeing correctly? Green sparks exploded in her face, making the girl rub her just-as-green eyes. There was too much going on here. Too much destruction, and someone tried to cast the Green Sparks Charm? Someone had already made the mistake of casting the Red Sparks Charm, earlier, and had that gone well? No. 

Thora bounced to her feet, the exhaustion melting off her. All she wanted to do was to retreat to her dorm, to close the curtains, and dive under the covers. All she wanted to do was to hide with the horrific world. But this night wasn't over. Oh, it was far from over. A flicker of movement to her left caused Thora's eyes to widen with amazement. Saskia Nicholson was getting up, mere moments after she had collided with the not-so-soft floor.

As the Hufflepuff made a beeline for the door, holding on to a mere chair for support, Thora raced after her. "Saskia!" she called. Maybe this was her ticket out. Maybe she could finally run away from all of this. But this, obviously, was not the case. Saskia was following Dan, whom was the mystery boy being dragged out by a scary man. That was great. Just great.

She didn't care too much about Dan, honestly. Thora didn't know him personally at all, but still, she had an obligation. First and foremost, he was a fellow student. Although Thora was typically a self-pronounced scaredy-cat, she couldn't let her peers just die off in front of her. It wouldn't happen, at least not on her watch. Furthermore, Dan was her Quidditch captain and a pretty good Seeker. This was not happening. Nobody was dying tonight. 

"Are you okay? I-I saw you hit your head really hard," Thora lowered her voice, blushing as she stated the obvious. But seriously, the other girl should've been half-concussed right now. The mere fact that she was still moving was impressive, as it was an almost inhuman feat. Saskia was most likely not okay, but she had might as well ask anyways. "A-are we gonna go after Dan? Or do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" 

RPing as: Saskia Nicholson

Mentions: None | Interactions: @Thora Larkston

Health: Almost knocked out but still standing
Status: Bleeding lips, smashed head, blinded by green sparks

The room was spinning. Was she even going the right way? She hoped she was. Her vision was too green and bright for her to see things clearly, and she only had one person to thank for. But this wasn't the time to get angry. Well, it was. She was very much pissed off. Pissed off at herself for being so useless, a failure even. She didn't do anything to help, and she wasn't even sure if she was only going to make things worse. But she could try, right? One more time before she fully collapsed into an incompetent heap of worthlessness.

One step forward. Another step forward. She was still going in the right direction, or at least she thought she was. Her head still hurt. Could she even think properly anymore? She had to focus. Ignore the pain and focus. Someone was in danger, she needed to help them. It didn't matter if she was hurt. It didn't matter if she wanted to fall back down and rest. Someone's life could have been on the line, and they had already succeeded in preventing the giants from kidnapping a student. They couldn't lose someone else now.

Did she hear someone call her name? It was faint, but someone did. It might have been her imagination, though. There was already so much happening. It was hard to process what was going on anymore. But what if it wasn't just her imagination? What if someone was really trying to call for her, and she was being a jerk by ignoring them? It couldn't hurt to take a look, would it? It was just one simple glance, and if it was nothing, she could have moved on. She could risk it just this once.

It took her longer than usual to figure out who it was, thanks to a combination of her head injury and the green sparks, but it was Thora. She was running after her, at least she thought she was. Did she want to help? Help would have been nice. She normally disliked the idea of being taken care by others when she could have helped herself, but this was one of those times when she admittedly needed the help. It was either that, or she'd find herself crashing somewhere else again.

Was she okay? Was being nearly knocked out from a concussion and her lips bleeding okay? To a normal person, it wouldn't be. Those things weren't meant to be taken lightly. That made the question completely redundant. Anyone could have taken one simple look at her and say that she wasn't okay. How was she still standing? Who even knew anymore? But she was still standing after all. Technically she was fine, at least for the moment. She would be fine until she actually dropped to the floor.

"I'll be okay. Just knocked my head really hard on the ground. Nothing I can't handle," she assured, managing a weak smile. Well, as much of a smile as she could anyway. Her lips were still bleeding and mutilated. It probably wasn't a good idea to face the girl directly unless she wanted to gross her out.

She nodded, her gaze resolute. "We need to go after Dan. Someone's dragging him out of the ballroom, and we need to stop them before they hurt him. She briefly glanced at the Slytherin. She really didn't want to have to ask this, but she figured it would come up soon. Even if she said no, that would have been fine. "Do you mind if I lean onto you for support? I'll try not to drag you down. We still need to hurry if we want to catch up to him."

Outfit: Dress | Mask | Shoes

Interactions: @Saskia Nicholson
Health: Full
Status: Fine but traumatized; slightly blinded by green sparks

So Saskia wanted to go after Dan. Not a moment of indecision passed before Thora made up her mind as well. She was going too. First, the Hufflepuff was quite literally about to collapse, not to mention her lips, which were bleeding everywhere. Surprisingly, the other girl was still able to walk straight despite this. Thora knew Saskia was strong, though, so she didn't exactly doubt her ability to walk out while concussed. Still, she definitely couldn't do it alone.

So when Saskia asked if she could lean on her for support, Thora was quick to agree. "Sure, go ahead," the Slytherin said. At least she could do something to help, unlike just then, when she had stood and watched as people got licked and bitten, for Merlin's sake. She felt useless. No, she was useless. She had helped for a while, but then everything just seemed to take a nosedive. Why her? Why now?

"Yeah, we need to hurry," Thora muttered. It was obvious, but, well, the supposed Headmaster was dragging Dan away at a rather alarming rate. If they wanted to help, they needed to go. Thora would offer more help to Saskia to make sure that they could go faster, but the badger looked fine. Well, as 'fine' as a lip-bitten, half-concussed girl could be. What she really should've done was bring the girl to the Hospital Wing, but she was stubborn. Thora knew she would likely have done the same, had she been in Saskia's shoes, so she just let it go. As long as she said she was fine, she should be okay. Where there was a need, there was a way. And if that way involved two unlikely heroines by the names of Thora and Saskia, she was in.

NOVUS'S PERSPECTIVE
------------------------------

Novus knew it was time to go. Things had somewhat calmed down: the fires were out, the injured were being taken care of, and the attackers were... well hopefully not dead. The boy reasoned that there was nothing much that he could do to help, and any attempts might get in the way of those who actually knew what they were doing. The door was easily accesible, and students were getting out as fast as they could. Novus decided to join them. With another look around to ensure that there was nothing that he noticed which was worth any attempts to interfier with, the boy headed towards the halls exit.



______________________________

LAMIK'S PERSPECTIVE
-------------------------



Lamik looked at Jake with a frown, heavily considering heeding Saskias words (as illogical as he found them) and dealing with the younger boy himself. Before he could decide on anything though, he heard a loud crash, prompting him to look back in her direction. She was hurt- that much was obvious. It seemed that the boy who called himself the Candy King had managed to outmaneuver her. Conveniently, Lamik had missed exactly what had happened, but chances were that he would figure it out some day. The King of Candy was quickly defeated by other students, and Saskia, despite her injuries, seemed to be determined to keep moving.

As admirable as Lamik found it, what she was determined to do was a bit concerning. At least one of the attackers- the one that had been bound- was fatally wounded. Dead, maybe. Lamik couldnt seem to look at what had happened for more then a few seconds (it wasn't exactly an easy sight for a 12 year old), but he did see enough to realize that something was burried deep in the attackers eye. The culprit; a slytherin no older then him, was being dragged away by Solomon (or at least who Lamik assumed was Solomon). As she passed him, another girl on her tail, Lamik called out to her. "Saskia, youre hurt..." but she didn't respond. Whether that was due to him speaking too softly or her simply ignoring him was unknown, but it didn't really matter. What did matter was that she was following the Headmaster, and as Lamik began to follow them, still holding on to Jake, he heard the girl say that she was going after "Dan". "Thats Lear taking him!" He said.

Unfortunately, there was no way that Lamik would be able to keep up while still holding onto Jake, and so he stopped walking after the two girls and spoke to the boy with as reassuring of a smile as he could muster. "Lets go to the medical wing Jake. We'll be safe there."

Right after she cast her spell, Galton came rushing at Katrina. She sidestepped him just in time and saw a repulsive blob of drool sail over her shoulder.
She stayed frozen as several other spells were cast, aftraod one stray on might hit her. She was lucky as Galton was thrown to the ground and left unconscious.
A small part of her felt bad for him, for this certainly was not normal behavior. With all of his talk about being ‘Candy King’ Katrina wondered if it was drugged candy that set him off rather than some spell as she previously thought.
She made her convictions clearer to NEVER eat candy from a wizard or, frankly, anyone.
Once Galton was down Katrina took a few steps toward him to see that he was actually down. She wondered what he would do. The remaining glints of green still sparkles in her vision and she wished people would stop casting those spells.
She debated exiting the ball, but wanted to help others. She scanned the room as she (slowly) exited towards the door. Katrina avoided looking at the part-giants for she was not in the mood for more nightmares, as she was sure to come of this all.
Shivers crept up Katrina’s spine as she replayed the horrific events. It was all too much for a little 12-year-old. Katrina felt the familiar tightening in her chest of a panic attack creeping in and had to quickly stop and take a few breaths. Tears she hadn’t known were there began to well up in her eyes. There was only so much one student could take. She found that she was near a wall and crumpled down, fighting tears. No one would see her, as the never did, so Katrina felt safe enough and began to cry a few tears.

Action: cries and has an almost panic attack