Two Flags S.W.A.G Club Concluded

Katrina was almost bouncing in excitement. She felt awfully childish, but she didn't care.

Bridget arrived appearing somewhat deep in thought, Katrina gave a small wave, unsure if she would see it. Thora arrived and Katrina gave a half-smile at her, they had an accident in the library, and Katrina was ready to apologize and make things up again… Thora, she wasn't so sure. A small sting hurt her heart when Thora hugged a girl who walked up. She should be happy that Thora was making friends, but it still hurt, Katrina didn't have anyone who would hug her. Rafe arrived and seemed rather hostile to Aurelia (whom Katrina was trying to remember her name), Katrina wondered if something happened between them. Before she could overthink anything, a boy whom Katrina hadn't met arrived in a rather hostile mood, he was surprisingly tall and Katrina found herself shrinking away from him. Another girl whom Katrina hadn't met walked in and Katrina felt chills. The weather wasn't that cold and Katrina felt that something was wrong deep in her bones. People began pouring in and Katrina stopped paying attention to them.

Instead she looked back at the Castle that was a beautiful epitome of a painting. The setting sun painted a gorgeous scape and Katrina wished she had her trusty sketchbook to copy it in. Instead, she tried to memorize the picture to draw it later.

The house elf chose teams and Katrina could hardly make out his mutterings. She was sorted into the team of Blue. Katrina took note of her team. It was a team of eight including herself. Her team had Bridget Collins, River Dewlight, Rafe, and the boy who Katrina thought was stabbed at the masked ball. The rest of her team she didn't recognize.

She smiled as a few people mingled together. Someone called out that we got this.

"We are totally going to win" Katrina grinned and twiddled her wand through her fingers.

Action: Doing as Strategized

Action
Doing as Strategized

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S.W.A.G Moderation
1st round
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Team
BLUE

☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲ ☰☰☲☲ HEALTH 1748 ☲☲☰☰ ☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲ FLAG 750 - 99 - 63 = 588 1250 - 90 =1160 POLE Reducio *will put red flag image here soon*	Flag Damage Reducio BANNER Ruthie's incendio [50 + (6 x 10)] x 0.9 = 99 dmg Evelynn's Incendio [50 + (2 x 10)] x 0.9 = 63 dmg POLE Pierre's incendio [50 + (5 x 10)] x 0.9 = 90 Spell Effects Reducio POLE Ruthie's incendio -50 hp for 2 rounds
══	════════════════════════════════

Team
RED

Flag Damage Reducio BANNER Birdget's Incendio Duo [100 + (7 x 10)] x 0.9 = 153 dmg Spell Effects Reducio BANNER Bridget's Incendio Duo -50hp for 1 round	☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲ ☰☰☲☲ HEALTH 1847 ☲☲☰☰ ☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲ FLAG 750 - 153 = 597 1250 POLE Reducio *will put red flag image here soon*
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Player Statistics

Team
BLUE

Reducio

────────────────────────────	────────────────────────────
	─────────────── Alan ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (1100) Effects None
─────────────── Katrina ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (600) Effects None
	─────────────── Bridget ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (500) Effects None
─────────────── Astrea ─────────────── Status In game Health 500 - 45 = 455 Effects Quinn's Spongify 50 x 0.9 = 45 dmg
	─────────────── River ─────────────── Status In game Health (Full) 700 Effects
─────────────── Rafael ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (1000) Effects None
	─────────────── Jorah ─────────────── Status In game Health 1000 - 72 = 928 Effects Neculai's Incendio [50 + (3 x 10)] x 0.9 = 72 dmg

Team
RED

Reducio

────────────────────────────	────────────────────────────
	─────────────── Quinn ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (1200) Effects Rafael's Sparks -5 opponent accuracy for 1 round
─────────────── Erik ─────────────── Status In game Health 600 - 190 = 410 Effects Astrea's Flipendo 100 + (9 x 10) = 190
	─────────────── Neculai ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (900) Effects None
─────────────── Thora ─────────────── Status In game Health 700 - 162 = 538 Effects Flipendo Backfire [100 + (80 x 10)] x 0.9 = 162
	─────────────── Pierre ─────────────── Status In game Health 300 (full) Effects
─────────────── Ruthie ─────────────── Status In game Health Full (600) Effects None
	─────────────── Evelynn ─────────────── Status In game Health 500 Effects Alan's Steleus -3 Wisdom due for 2 rounds

The Flags

As soon as the sparks burst into a flare of green light, the vibrant array of spells began to flying across the grounds. The blue banner and its pole burst into a flaming rage of dark orange. The sturdy wooden pole crackled for a brief moment before the flicker of flames died down. It was due to the bitter atmosphere of the open Scottish grounds winter that suffocated the flames. The Red flag too had caught on fire as well, the had light up in flames like fire on a matchstick.

@Quinn Healy

The softening charm was not one of the spells which delivered much damage yet the Hufflepuff chose to use that particular charm. Quinn had a strategy in mind: to weaken instead of damaging. The large boy would twirl is wand in an 'S' like shape, the incantation leaving his lips. The spell was cast flawlessly, but not so much the part-giant's aim. Perhaps it was the sudden explosion of red right in his face that was the cause of his misaim. But whatever the case, Quinn was blinded by the sudden burst of bright vermillion light.

@Erik Tharaldson

There were many that the Slytherin lycanthrope was not on good terms with. One per say, Jorah Moussa who was the cause of his quite-literal down fall during the last S.W.A.G club game. One could only guess why, of all people, he had aimed for Katrina. The boy had chosen a less damaging spell, the disarming spell. Scarlet red light shot forth from the wand. However, the Gryffindor girl must have seen the spell coming her way and in the nick of time, had moved out of the way. Unfortunately, his previous arrogant had proven to be quite detrimental. Astrea of Neptune had certainly saw this as a challenge and cast a skilful knockback jinx which hit the Slytherin with an immense amount of force.

@Neculai Lazar

By now, for those who knew what a dhampir was, it was evident that Neculai was one of them. It was quite bold of him not to hide the identity of his race given that an aspiring monster hunter was hovering above in the skies. Of course, very few knew what the fourteen year old actually was. Neculai had opted for fire. The part dhampir raised his wand and directed the making spell towards the flag. But a flag the spell did not set on fire but rather a fellow Ravenclaw boy. For a brief moment, the figure was set ablaze.

@Thora Larkston

Thora might have noticed that the dark haired girl across the grounds was the cause of the terrible feeling that settled in her gut. It might have been the reason to why Thora had targetted Astrea. But clearly, someone had not been paying attention to her classes. There were many reasons to why one's spell would backfire. A few being the lack of concentration, the wrong wand movement or incantation. The impact hit the thirteen year old right in the chest, thorn would find herself breathless and laying on her back a few feet from where she was a few moments ago.

@Piérre Marchonné

With the reckless Ravenclaw boy (Jorah) in a heap of fire and out of the the way, like Neculai, Piérre would cast the fire making spell. The wood would crackle as the fire latched onto the sturdy material. The flames would flicker, and char the areas slowly. However, the fire was quickly put out by a strong gust of cold winter's wind.

@Ruthie Greer

Devastated Ruthie must have been at the sight of her beloved in flames and yet could not do much about it. Fortunately, with a the chilly gust of wind, the flames dissipated. With that now over, Ruthie took her aim, this time at the banner rather than nearer to the ground incase someone recklessly attempted another move like Jorah's. Ruthie's spell was surprisingly powerful as the banner caught on fire.

@

@Evelynn Decipio

True to her words, burn the flag Evelynn did. Like her other team mates, Evelynn casted the fire making spell. Her spell was a success and in turn, led to the damage of the opponent team's flag. The blue flag was now in a blaze of reed. It was clear which of ht two teams had the upper hand. Evelynn would all of a sudden feel the irresistible urge to sneeze. First, a. nagging itch on her nose before the relentless sneezes followed.

@Alan Vanes

Instead of making above to damage the flag, the Gryffindor had opted for the sneezing spell. One could only guess why he had chosen to target Evelynn, his fellow housemate.

@Astrea Soleil Neptune

The pale-haired Slytherin was surely an arrogant one. Much like purebloods and their politics, Astrea did not hesitate for even a second to put the boy in his place. As soon as Aurelia had gave the signal for the game to start, Astrea made her move. The pureblood Slytherin was very proficient at the jinx, With the skilful wave of her wand and incantation, the Slytherin boy was sent flying backwards. However, soon after, she would sudden feel a foreign ache in her chest. The area grew numb, making breathing laborious. She had been hit by the Softening charm.

@Jorah Moussa

It was quite concerning when Jorah decided not to use his wand but rather, to place himself stubbornly right in front of the flag. It was a Spells, Wands and Games club. Human shielding was not the best strategy but nevertheless, still worked. As expected, the spells would fly at the Ravenclaw. In an instant, the boy's outfit was set on fire. It did not take long for the flames to get to his skin, burning him. Fortunately for him. A cold gust of winter's wind had put out the fire shortly.

@Rafael D'Spacito

It did not quite matter wether or not Rafael was still bitter about getting called out for his act of aggression, the game still continued regardless. The towering red head on the opponent team was a threat to the first year. So much so, that perhaps Rafael had not been brave enough to use a more offensive spell and resulted to the harmless red sparks spell. The spell burst into an array of bright light a few inches from the part-giant's face.

@River Dewlight

One thing to note about dhampirs was that they were not too proficient at spell casting due to their vampiric side. This was possibly the reason to the Dhampir's spell failure. What was meant to be a fire making spell produced nothing more than a comforting wave warm air from the tip of her wand amidst the bitter atmosphere -- much to River's dismay.

@Katrina Walker

The dark haired girl right next to the young Gryffindor gave more than an unnerving aura. It standing beside Astrea was terrible, it gave her a feeling like spiders crawling under her very own skin. It was dreadful, despite that, Katrina decided to proceed with the spell casting. Astrea's presence certainly made it a challenge to focus, it was no doubt the reason to why Katrina's fire making spell had came no where near the opponent's flag, instead, setting a patch of dirt nearby on fire.

@Bridget Collins

Bridget had opted for a more powerful variation of the fire making spell. Incendio duo. It was a bold move given that it would be disastrous if the spell were to miss and hit and opponent. Nevertheless, Bridget proceeded to cast the spell. The spell was powerful, setting the banner of the flag on fire like that of a matchstick.

She let Thora's hand go with a snap. It was great to have someone she trusted on the team, not to mention a great spellcaster. The rest of her group she did not know particularly well, but they seemed a solid bunch, especially that third year Hufflepuff. He looked like a force to be reckoned with, considering last match. It'd be good to have him on side. But it was a blonde Slytherin boy who seemed to want to take the reins right away. And he did so by threatening them. Ruthie was not about to have that; she was accustomed to a different kind of teamwork, one that relied on cooperation and partnership, creativity. The one thing she did agree on was winning, but she wasn't about to let his tirade set the stage for their play. "We'll win, yes," she corrected him, "but as a team. Nobody pays anyone back in kind." She repeated his language for effect, but she meant it, staring at the boy to make her point. Neculai, from his terse response, seemed to just want to move on.

So, that's what they did: they moved on. The start was fast and kind of electric with so much going on around the field at once. Some people targeted players, which made sense in some cases, but Ruthie had her eye on the prize: the banner. They could knock out all the people they wanted, but they'd never win unless they destroyed the banner and the pole. With her sycamore wand close at hand, she slyly maneuvered her way towards the flag. It wasn't easy to get through the noise with all these spells flying around so quickly--including Thora getting hit by her own knockback jinx--but eventually she was in position. Pushing back her shirt sleeve, she whispered the words, "Incendio," and watched the flag set ablaze. The flames danced higher than she had expected and for the first time in a long time, she was proud of herself. It was real magic, powerful magic she'd produced, something very different from a lucky goal in a Quidditch match.

She wanted to hit the pole as well for good measure, but turned around to check on Thora. She was a powerful witch and no doubt any spell of hers that rebounded would pack a punch. Scanning the field, her eyes settled on Jorah, who was on fire. "Jorah!" she yelled, as her mind flashed back to that night at Ball. The fire. The blood. The knife. "No, no..." she said, unsteady and unable to move. She wanted to help--she really did--tell him to stop, drop, and roll, but the painful memory seized her small body. Even after the wind came and mercifully blew out the flames on his clothes, she remained there, crouched and gripping the grass below while her PTSD overcame her. If she were lucky, a teammate might come to snap her out of it.

Doing as strategized.

In an instant, both teams sprang into action. Spells, many with a distinctive flashes of color, flew across the field. Some assumedly hit their mark, while others flew astray. Each person had their own strategy, and for some reason her team seemed focused on targeting the other team instead of their flag, although one boy apparently decided planting himself directly in front of their flag was a good idea. Not to her surprise, he was soon aflame, although luckily the icy wind put him out.

Bridget picked all this up in an instant, although none of those things were at the forefront of her focus. No, the brunette had a sole intention, and that was to eliminate the red banner flapping in the wind. Her laurel wand raised, she had no uncertainty about which spell to use. Fire. Dangerous, yes, and if she were to miss it could have disastrous consequences, namely igniting one of the other team, but there was no doubt in her mind that Incendio Duo was the spell to use. As she'd learned rather painfully in her duel, fire was a good way to both occupy and injure your opponent, so how different could it be with a flag?

"Incendio!" she yelled over the din, moving her wand in the correct flame shape. As far as the incantation and wand movement went, it was identical to an average Incendio, but that was where the other factor in spell-casting came in, the mental part. Because Bridget didn't just want flames--she wanted a large, powerful blaze. Her success in at least casting was proven by the burst of green light that accompanied the jet of fire. For the brief second the spell flew through the air, her mind was stuck on a repeat of don't hit anyone, don't hit anyone, don't hit anyone. But her aim was true and the red flag she was facing erupted in the red-orange tongues.

Bridget felt a grin light up her face. Not the slightly insane expression of a pyromaniac, but a real, satisfied display of happiness. It felt amazing to finally be an asset to her team, to be helping victory come their way instead of just being another body on the field.

However, she didn't allow herself long to celebrate. The game was still going, after all, and a spell could be fired at her any moment. Besides, every moment wasted was a moment the scales could be tipped more and more to one side's victory or the other, and if she was sure of one thing, it was that she was going to win.

Action | Doing as Strategized

@Ruthie Greer

Yes. They were a team. From the looks of it, the Red Team was pretty strong with an array of capable spellcasters. Although Thora didn't even know most of them, and they her, teamwork existed for a reason, didn't it? So as the game began with a raining of green sparks, she raised her aspen wand with a confidence normally absent from her being.

Thora wasn't alone. She wasn't even stuck on a team of strangers. She felt almost safe, even though she kept an eye trained on the scary boy who had evidently decided that he could subdue his own teammates simply by threatening them. While the paranoid girl who'd seen a little too much for her years was typically subject to these remarks, not this time. He wasn't her problem yet. Her problem was the students lined up across a wide stretch of ground.

Chills made their way up and down Thora's body as she found herself shivering. Why? It wasn't too cold out, especially to her, as she was used to the weather and didn't feel the wind as acutely. But something was definitely not right. Was it the raven-haired girl? There was something unsettling simply about the girl being there, about the way she held herself. While apparently fragile from the outside, she seemed dangerous. "Flipendo," the girl said with a wave of her wand.

But then a confusing array of lights, jets of flame and the darkened sky met Thora's eyes as she found herself freefalling backwards through the air. No, no, no… She knew without a doubt that something had gone horribly wrong. As the blue light fizzled into existence and hit her in the chest, it was a matter of a couple terror-filled moments before she found herself helpless on the ground.

Her face bloomed red as she realized the extent of her failure. How could she have missed the first year spell? Spellcasting wasn't easy, per say, but Thora typically excelled at it and failing in a competition situation was devastating. A spell had never backfired on her before, although they'd failed miserably, in again, the worst situations.

She couldn't tell through the yells and flashes which team was winning, as both flags were becoming singed as they were hit by Incendio. Everything seemed to be going alright, at least, for the Red Team… Until things started to go downhill. An almost inaudible cry in the midst of the chaos caught Thora's attention. It was too familiar, something she'd heard before. It was Ruthie.

Ruthie was crouched on the ground, shocked to silence. Thora had no idea what had happened, except for the fact that she had just uttered Jorah's name. Jorah was on fire--well, was on fire. A gust of wind or perhaps simply the coolness of the evening air had extinguished the orange flames dancing up and down him. While it seemed that the young Ravenclaw was out of danger for the time being, it still was much too reminiscent of the ball. Then, he'd been nearly kidnapped and then landed a hair away from death. It was one of the worst things Thora had ever experienced. She couldn't even fathom how much more trauma the event had plagued Ruthie with, as she clearly was closer with Jorah than the snek was.

Jean-clad knees meeting the soft earth, Thora didn't hesitate before wrapping an arm around the younger girl. She'd barely caught her breath and bits of grass were scattered in her chestnut hair from her nasty spell backfire, but none of that mattered more than the people she cared about. She didn't care what condition she was in as long as her friends were okay. Thora didn't make friends easily but rather often met more and more people she tried to skirt around. While most would describe her a loner, the girl was fiercely loyal to the friends she had.

"Ruthie," she spoke in a whisper with a tinge of urgency into the blonde head of curls. "What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, raising her voice and gently shaking the girl with an arm. Ruthie was most obviously not okay, but there simply wasn't much the struggling girl was able to say. She wasn't extroverted, wasn't completely aware of what was going on, wasn't confident. Without words, Thora was helpless.

"Hey, th-the ball's over," Thora said, wrapping her other arm around. "W-we're just playing a game." It wasn't easy for her to admit to herself, that they were just playing a game. People could get seriously hurt, and while the nurses at Hogwarts were more than capable of healing ailments in a matter of minutes, she absolutely hated the Hospital Wing. She'd even been to St. Mungo's to visit the night of the ball, and any medical ward brought back way too many memories she wished could just disappear.

A single tear traced its way down a dirt-dusted cheek and soaked into the emerald hoodie Thora was wearing. It wasn't easy to comfort when she was feeling the same herself. But Ruthie had been there when she needed it, and it was the other girl needed her right now. So she stayed strong. Yes, she would keep playing. Thora loved the idea of the team game and was keen to redeem herself after missing so badly just now. While the competitive spirit in the girl wasn't very obvious as Thora was scared of most people she was up against, every loss was still a blow to her pride.

But for now, she could afford a moment.

The game began with a burst. At once, everyone cast spells of various sorts. Colors were flying and spells were being yelled. Katrina took a moment to size up the other team.

It was a good thing she did, because someone on the opposite team cast a spell at her. In a moment of swiftness, she side-stepped the red disarming spell. The smirk on her face was one of victory. Losing her wand was not an option in this game. She had learned from the dodgeball game the importance of not losing your wand. She tightened her grip on her cherry stick in hand.

Beside her, Bridget cast the fire spell. Katrina lined herself up and copied her friend. The spell was successful-- at burning a small patch of ground. She took a breath and recomposed herself.

She glanced at the opposing team and freaked out. The girl who Thora hugged was now on the ground. Katrina couldn't hear what was being said, but she did see the tear that trickled down Thora's face. The lioness's own tears built up behind her eyes, if she fell no one would care like that. The doubt flickered in herself.

The doubt began to mix with rage. Why couldn't she do anything right? Why did no one care about her? What had she ever done wrong? Why was it always her? She was the one who almost killed Dympha at the Masked Ball, she was the one who ruined her almost-friendship with Thora, she was the one who had to have her parents killed in a fire, she was the one without a brother, she was the one who nobody would notice if she disappeared. She began to visibly shake at the emotions. The Gryffindor had never let herself cry since the death of her parents, everything had just built up more and more. To cope, she had been hiding behind masks of her own creation.

Katrina looked around at her team and was fueled at her pain. Katrina gripped her wand firmer and called out a spell that was fueled by pain. Hopefully, at least she would be able to help her team win.

Action
Doing as Strategized