Sweet Relief PV Closed

"Perhaps try celebrating with a cake next time. The house elves are accommodating if you're polite." But then the culprit apologized again, and when he saw those tears welling up, the Ravenclaw was struck with a pang of sympathy. "It'll be alright, Piérre," Pericles pressed gently, "really it will." His voice remained a hushed whisper, rising only enough to express an empathetic tune, trying to keep the conversation between himself and the next bunk over. "This will pass. It was one silly thing, which I know you won't do again, and I believe you when you say you didn't mean any harm." As much as he wished to maintain some semblance of peace in the recovery room, Peri- who was especially attached to that cat- would have understood Xailah's desire for vengeance. It was hard to turn one's eye when a loved one was harmed. He called out to that distinctive voice (and recognizable Woaw), perked and peered at the curtain come the confirmation, but blinked back an expression of surprise for what followed. Peri's perception was better suited for puzzles and mysteries. The inner-workings of his peers often eluded him, though that wasn't to say he was a little machine. A flicker of worry wove through his thoughts. Why would the lioness hide from him...? The same soft tune carried through the curtain as the fledgling eagle assured, "Well... if it were them, I would hope they're alright." He tried to discard his confusion, to stay focused on what was unfolding.

August explained the cause for the Gryffindor's candy-craze, something Pericles cataloged for later, now eyeing that candy with an amalgamation of wonder and wariness. But somehow, the nurse had been set off, and the outburst caused the lad to look away. He had an aversion to certain brands of conflict, one which encompassed adults arguing. It was such a foreign spectacle. His parents never fought, so seeing school staff argue with a government official wasn't much easier to tolerate. However, while Peri's stare averted awkwardly down to the ground, his ears remained open. The boy's eyes dulled in a way which may imply he was tuning out, but what was really going on behind that freckled face was anyone's guess. The sweet skittered into sight.

Pericles fished his spectacles from a coat pocket, but after a particularly turbulent bout of coughing, the things slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. He wasn't about to interrupt the quarreling brothers for help, so he summoned his strength and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, shakily sinking to the floor. His thumb swept over a crack in the lens. Though the boy tutted in disappointment, he supposed it would be the perfect excuse to practice the mending spell. He crammed the spectacles and the misplaced candy back into his robes. That ought to have been the end of it. He could leave: say he wanted the sentimental comforts of his own dorm, that he was well enough to make the trip, that the arguing had frightened his "delicate sensibilities" and caused him to "anxiously skitter out". While Finnlay wouldn't oblige the renown auror, he had access to a truly skilled potioneer right here on school grounds.

It was a quick clean strategy. But the boy wasn't an auror himself, he was a boy, and he couldn't shake lingering wonders and worries. A last uneasy frown in Supposedly Not Xailah's direction convinced him to stay. The clashing brothers were suspects on his Liberation list, and he wasn't about to leave someone he considered a friend alone with them. Just before he could climb back into bed, Piérre was leaving his. He saw the wand, had nearly thought to take cover in case sparks flew, saw it sail through the air.... Peri's pale hand darted out, trying to catch the boy as he went by. He didn't utter a sound, but his stare was uncharacteristically, unflinchingly stern. Had he known the other student would have gone so far as to fight, he would have tried harder to stop him, but with any luck a grab and look would work.

^Summary
Trying to comfort and quiet Piérre, worrying about Xailah and Schrödinger, surveying the VanCleafs, dropping his glasses and getting out of bed to retrieve them and the candy, trying to stop Piérre from crossing the infirmary during the argument, and returning to bed.

Attempt to dumb bucket on Xailah 20
Xailah dodge 1
Attempt to dump bucket on Piérre 11
Piérre dodge 1

Xailah attempts to grab wand (-3) 18
Piérre  attempts to grab wand 7

@Solomon Lear, @Xailah Alptraum, @Galton Lansdale, & @Pericles Dralt

Piérre had certainly expected for there to be chaos, especially since the wand had been thrown in a different direction than his own cot; specifically that of Xailah's. If the little Britalian knew anything about the girl from their previous experience in the Caretaker's Office, he should have known that she was rather a klepto and eager to take anything that was of some sort of value like the boy himself. However, his eagerness had trumped caution, and so he went flying just as Xailah had begun to dive for the length of wood.

Peri had grabbed his wrist, but Piérre, having watched more than a few documentaries about self defense, twisted his wrist towards the boy's thumb, which would in turn twist the Ravenclaw's wrist and force him to let go of the jumping Italian. As he parted from his bedmate, Piérre turned his gaze almost mournfully towards the Ravenclaw before smiling cheekily. It was a look as if to say. 'I'm sorry, but I have to do this.'

As Piérre went skittering across the ground, he saw Xailah crouch on all fours, her back arched like her pet cat's had the potential to do, growling with a low voice deep in her throat. Piérre very nearly froze, but a different, a more... feral part of him made him drop and hit the ground as well, his back arching, his pointed ears flattening in a primal instinct to protect tender flesh, and his head tipping as his eyes lit with green fire. Even Piérre had no idea what was happening. All he knew, and all his eyes were fixed on, were the golden, slit eyes of the catwoman in front of him, and the length of wood that she was protecting with her whole, menacing form.

He WANTED that wand.

Piérre may have been smaller, lighter, and perhaps even less constitutional that the older girl, but he was light and fast. He doubted that she would be able to touch him if he kept dodging her, cornering her until he could get what he wanted. He was infinitely more determined, and he was fierce enough to not stand down, even if it could kill him. He saw two ways in. Either he could pounce directly at her, or he could feint, and try to get around and attack an exposed side. Both were viable, and both could get him hurt, but what were a few bruises when compared to the prize?

Muscles bunching, prepared for a pounce, green eyes widening as a spark of something erupted in the center of his pin-sized black pupil...

"Please! Rid your hands!"

Piérre hardly heard Galton, but he did spot out of the corner of his eye the boy lifting up a chamber-pot and beginning to retract it over his head, ready to throw it...

Pupils regained their size as Piérre gasped in shock of what was happening. Why in the world was he on all fours fighting for a wand? What in the world going on?!

"Waitwaitwait!" Piérre waved his hands before him, spinning to the crisis, but it was too late, the pot was spinning in the air, the bile, stomach acid, and whatever foul concoction was within flying through the air...

To land directly on Xailah's back.

Immediately the world became a haze of green, for not only did the pot land on her back, but the backspin of the pot also managed to hit Piérre head on as well, and with his mouth open in a cry of shock, well...

It wasn't a pretty picture. He had been far too distracted with the Prefect than he had been in noticing his surroundings. In fact, Piérre didn't think he had been in his surroundings at all. He had been in a dark room, his sights narrowed only on the girl. She had been his only point of focus. Why in the world would that have been?

The acid stung his eyes, but with a firm, small hand, he managed to wipe away most of the green yuck. The stuff that had gotten in his clothes he could clean with a little help from upperclassmen, and truth be told, he was due for a shower already. This would just be a bit of shame, that's all. Yeah, just a little shameful.

So engrossed in the gross, Piérre had hardly noticed that Xailah was already far ahead of him, snatching the wand firmly. Piérre had made a weak swipe towards it, but he had miserably missed, even with the misfortune that the older classmate had endured. Well, it wasn't like it mattered all that much now. Xailah had snatched that wand fair and square, and far be it from Piérre to try and wrench it back. Maybe a talk was in order, to explain the meaning and the whole importance of the wand itself.

And then there were the brothers again. The auror had taken the outraged nurse and was calling him a fool, chiding him and giving him a look as if to cause the man to burst into immediate flame. Piérre looked between the two of them, becoming more and more confused. Was someone about to get even more hurt?

"PLEASE STOP!" Finally, some words parted his lips, his throat tight and filled with tears, which were also beginning to sparkle in his large green eyes. Why was this world so hateful? What in the world was wrong with everyone and everything? "Why are you doing this?!" The boy, miserably covered in slime and gross was almost pitifully shaking, his hands making circles in the mess. His words were directed towards the two twins fighting with one another. As much as Piérre wanted to get closer to the two fighting men, he saw the half-crazed Galton still in the way, and Piérre had the distinct feeling that things would not go well if he attempted to approach.

Finally, a thought hit Piérre. It hit him hard and it hit him fast. "Nobody move." It was the first time anyone who knew the kid up to this point purposefully cause his voice to drop into an assertive tenor, unlike his usual male alto. Legs shaking, the boy brought himself to his feet, pointing at the twins. "I want to know exactly what's going on. I think we more than deserve answers." Piérre indicated to himself, Xailah, and Peri. "Nobody leaves until we know what's going on."

Of course Piérre knew that he was NO MATCH for two adult wizards and probably a candy-crazed boy. In fact, the first year had EVERYTHING to lose. But hopefully the auror was at least respectable enough to explain why he was taking their nurse aside, and why they were being so venomous to one another. Inside, Piérre was also hoping that at least Peri would back him up, whether in spellcasting or in some sort of verbal agreement, and if Xailah was in with him as well, that was a bonus. Piérre had never seen her in action, but if he knew anything about the girl's nature from what he knew, she was dedicated. Nothing would escape her gaze or her ambition.

She was almost like him in a way.

"Here," Piérre smiled at Xailah, holding out a hand to help her up. If she wanted to take it was up to her, but whatever she did, she would see a stark contrast from the boy who was about to pounce on her from all fours and the something near gentleman who was offering a hand to get her to her feet and clear off the muck.

Then, keeping an eye on Galton, Piérre tentatively took a step towards the brothers, ready to dodge if things went south. He wanted answers.

And a vow by Piérre was a vow that was kept.

There were no exceptions.

Piérre attempts to Help Xailah to her feet and Confronts the Twins

Piérre's glance back was met with a pinched forehead, pressed lips, and discouraging shake of Peri's head. But it was to no avail. Many things were set into motion all at once: Xailah making a move for the holly wand, Piérre crossing the tense room, Galton scrambling by like some kind of creature and- most mortifying of all- the auror August pulling a wand on the nurse. The latter held his attention, at least until the candy-cursed Galton was dousing the lad's peers in substance most foul. Peri cast a last desperate look towards the door. His head was humming with possibilities, with options and obstacles, and it was imperative that he make his choice in the next several seconds. He worried about unintentionally provoking the apparently insane brothers by making for the door, but from what August had said, Galton- under the influence- was also a threat. He hardly doubted that the boy would be satisfied with simply making a mess. Peri's own wand was out, pale fingers curled tight around aspen.

He could grab his bag from the nightstand and make a break for the door.
He could hope the current students combined might be enough to fend off an Auror (though a quick calculation made him suppose that their chances were very, very poor).

Lapsing again into empathy and sentiment, he settled for the third route: trying to haul Xailah out of this sticky situation with him. Tentatively, keeping arms at his sides to seem like less of a threat, he had inched away from his bed. The Ravenclaw reluctantly looked away from the brothers and on towards Galton. As much as he too desired an explanation from Finn, he highly doubted August was interested in negotiations or villainesque monologues about the dastardly schemes set aside for the nurse. He kept to the sideline, making no move to run or attack, attention flickering frantically between the VanCleafs and Landsdale. If the boy made a move to further attack Xailah or the impassioned Piérre, he would make a decisive attempt to intercept it.

If Galton attempts to attack Xailah or Piérre, casting Flipendo at him.
Otherwise, remaining very still and very quiet by his bed.

Galton would attempt to lick the ginger-thing's (Xailah's) right head lollipop (antler)

Action: Attempting to cast Incendio on August's pant leg.