Match #3 Two Lions Walk Into A Gobstones Match..

Ana wanted to headbutt a wall. All she wanted was for this game and by extension all this awkwardness to be over. If she just threw a bunch of stones at Scott and knocked him out, would the game be over? That was a viable course of action. Then again, that would probably make things more awkward next time they spoke, which was bound to happen sometime. Maybe she could knock him out with her gobstones and then transfer to Beauxbatons. Yes, that could work. Except she rather liked Hogwarts, and somehow doubted that her parents would go through the irritation of moving her to a different school simply because things were awkward with a boy.

Huffing slightly when both of their throws missed yet again, she listened for a moment to what Amadea was saying before throwing again. How could she be this bad at a children's game? She rolled the stone between her fingers before deciding on another strong throw. That had gotten her closer than her previous throws, so if she tried again, it was sure to work. Then again, the odds didn't seem to be in either of their favor that afternoon. How did that even work? Typically, it stood to reason if the odds were not in one player's favor, then they would be in the other's. Not with this hot mess though.

Character Statistics: Stamina 5| Evasion 9| Strength 5| Wisdom 9| ArcPower 7| Accuracy 5|
Abilities: Lovely Creature, Fearless
Action: Catapult Throw

"What was that you were saying about the stones being too light?"

"Look, I have a very poor appreciation of power! And... well, if you don't mind my using the term, I think we both suck at this game. Less than adequate. I'm personally going to revert back to my never having done this before-stance, but I'm sure Anastasia can think of something much more clever."

Scott couldn't help but laugh, and sighed as he looked at the spot where his gobstone had landed, only an inch or two away from the one he'd been aiming for. Was he, after all, getting a hang of it? Well, no... But was Anastasia? Scott couldn't tell. To him, it seemed like she'd been real close to hitting the mark each round so far. So he looked to her now.

Ah. She was in agony. Go figure.

His gut churning in guilt again, as he'd really wished for her to leave this game with a bit more happiness than she had several of their previous meetings, Scott had to remind himself that he'd done just what he was supposed to in not winning any rounds (not that he would pretend to have done that on purpose, he obviously hadn't)- and that it wasn't exactly his fault that she appeared to be doing the same.

"Ah, if only one of us manages to get our head in the game- then it might just end sometime this term! Go on, I'm sure we'll get it!"

Scott raised his shoulders up in a here we go again gesture to Amadea as she prepared them for the next round, and gave Anastasia a thumbs up from across the grass.

strength 11 | wisdom 6 | accuracy 8

ACTION: Scott uses the conscious throw

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𝓐madea glanced at both of the competitors, trying to gauge the vibe in the game now. She hoped that her little pep talk would encourage them. Scott seemed to be handling it much better than Ana was, jokingly laughing off his past failures. That was good; at least one of the players was having a good time...somewhat. Amadea prayed to any greater powers that might exist that Ana would hit Scott's gobstone this time; she was afraid that if Ana kept failing the poor girl would get up and leave. Or worse, set something on fire.

"You guys don't suck!" Amadea exclaimed as she listened to Scott ramble about their less than adequate performance. "You guys are great!" She sat back, focusing as the players prepared for the next round. Ana was up first, opting to lob her gobstone toward the ring. All of her strategy worked in her advantage; her gobstone found its mark and knocked Scott's out of the ring. "Whoooo Ana!" Amadea exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air for the Gryffindor girl. She had hit a gobstone!! "See, you're getting the hang of this!"

Now it was Scott's turn. His gobstone flew toward the ring so strongly that Amadea was glad she wasn't sitting across from him. Thankfully, his accuracy was on point and instead of flying toward Ana, his gobstone hit Ana's gobstone. The two were tied again. "Yes Scott!" Amadea cheered for the other Gryffindor. "See, you guys are doing great! Let's keep it up, Scott you're next for this round."

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Player 1: @Anastasia Beckett Catapult throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 8 roll: 10 + 5 = 15 Wisdom: DC ≥ 11 roll: 13 + 9 = 22 Accuracy: DC ≥ 13 roll: 11 + 5 = 16 Throw success Number of Gobstones left: 6

Player 2: @Scott Alexander Conscious throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 15 roll: 14 + 11 = 25 Wisdom: DC ≥ 10 roll: 13 + 6 = 19 Accuracy: DC ≥ 14 (LC) roll: 11 + 8 = 19 Throw sucess Number of Gobstones left: 6

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SCOTT ALEXANDER TO POST FIRST.

"I told you we could do it! I did! I did say that! Now look."

Scott wasn't at all aware of whether he was speaking to Amadea or Anastasia, or even if he was really addressing either of the girls, because to most present it would seem like Scott was simply reassuring himself. And perhaps, of course, he was- but there were definitely other more selfless elements to it than the wave of new confidence.

Throwing a number of careful eyes over and across the green grass to his opponent, Scott didn't stop his jubilance (did you see that? You did great! And so did I!, etc...)- all the while studying Anastasia's face in search of a reaction. It must've made her happy, right, to finally hit one? To get a point? Or however this game worked... If it hadn't, then Scott was really out of guesses. He didn't know what would do the trick.

"Shame on you Amadea, saying we suck. You need to let things take their time! Be patient!"

Scott swallowed as he picked his next stone to throw, after grinning at their admittedly very patient referee, and closed his hand around it.

Then again, it wasn't his job to "do the trick", now, was it? If it really was his fault that Anastasia was feeling so bad, then the least he could do was let her be in charge of her own time now.

"You can't rush it. Not if you care."

strength 11 | wisdom 6 | accuracy 8

Ana smiled slightly despite herself at Scott's enthusiasm. Ugh, her life would be so much easier if he would just be loathsome and obnoxious, but nooooo, he had to be likable and blond and awesome. It really was unfair to the brunette who was simply trying to live her life and avoid him. Why did the universe hate her?

It was because she'd only had one cup of coffee that morning, wasn't it? Things like this never happened when she was fully caffeinated. She made a mental note to drink extra coffee whenever she next had the chance to counteract whatever imbalance was in the universe because of her suboptimal caffeine levels.

Biting her lip, she tried to decide upon a course of action. It didn't seem that she was particularly good at one throw over another, beyond the fact she had gotten lucky this past round. Then again, why mess with success? She rolled her stone between her fingers for a moment or two while she watched Scott make his throw for that round. This had to be the longest and most awkward thread in the history of ever. Once her opponent had gone, she threw her stone with as much power as she could.

Character Statistics: Stamina 5| Evasion 9| Strength 5| Wisdom 9| ArcPower 7| Accuracy 5|
Abilities: Lovely Creature, Fearless
Action: Catapult Throw

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𝓐madea rolled her eyes in good fun as Scott cheered, his first successful throw completed. She gasped and turned to Scott. "I never said you suck!" she exclaimed. Amadea was the designated cheerleader (and moderator) for both Scott and Ana; she would never tell them they sucked. "I think I believe telling you both the exact opposite, actually," she said.

Ana remained silent and unreadable as Amadea studied her face. She said nothing as her throw solidly knocked Scott's out of the ring. Amadea turned back to the Gryffindor boy, carefully keeping an eye as he prepared for his next throw. He threw his gobstone with gusto, as it powerfully headed toward the ring, but something about his strategy seemed off. The gobstone was on a trajectory to almost hit one of his own gobstones instead of Ana's. Luckily for him, the gobstone missed by a few centimeters and rolled out of the ring. "Hey Scott, you're trying to aim for Ana's gobstones, remember?" she grinned. "Unless you're self sabotaging at this point."

It was Ana's turn. The girl threw her gobstone and it seemed like all of the practice rounds were finally paying off. Amadea had to admit that it was one of the best throws of the whole game. Ana's gobstone squarely smacked into Scott's, leaving him with only five gobstones in the ring now. "Woah nice throw Ana!" Amadea cheered. "You're now one gobstone ahead of Scott..and you're up first for this next round!"

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Player 1: @Scott Alexander Conscious throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 15 roll: 13 + 11 = 24 Wisdom: DC ≥ 10 roll: 3 + 6 = 9 Accuracy: DC ≥ 14 (LC) roll: 6 + 8 = 14 Throw failure. Number of Gobstones left: 5

Player 2: @Anastasia Beckett Catapult throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 8 roll: 16 + 5 = 21 Wisdom: DC ≥ 11 roll: 14 + 9 = 23 Accuracy: DC ≥ 13 roll: 20 + 5 = 25 Throw success Number of Gobstones left: 6

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ANASTASIA BECKETT TO POST FIRST.

Scott's stone nearly hit one of his own, and Ana was torn between laughing and smacking someone. She opted to do neither in favor of sitting quietly. How were the two of them this bad at gobstones? There really ought to be some kind of award for being this bad at something. Honestly, she couldn't think of anyone she knew who was this bad at anything. It was just as well it was gobstones, seeing as it would probably cause issues if either of them were this incompetent at something that actually mattered like flying or charms work.

Her throw worked unexpectedly well. She was definitely not going to mess with success, so she pitched her next gobstone with as much power as she could, trying to imitate the feeling she had gotten throwing the last two rounds. This game had to end somehow. She wondered what would happen if they kept failing. Would Amadea just make them sit there for the rest of the day? The rest of their lives? She doubted it, but given her rubbish luck, it wasn't completely impossible. She resolved to throw her remaining stones at Scott and Amadea and run away if it came down to it. That would definitely work. She could do that, and just never speak to either of them ever again. Brilliant plan.

Character Statistics: Stamina 5| Evasion 9| Strength 5| Wisdom 9| ArcPower 7| Accuracy 5|
Abilities: Lovely Creature, Fearless
Action: Catapult Throw

"Hey Scott, you're trying to aim for Ana's gobstones, remember? Unless you're self sabotaging at this point."

Offering their commentator a light-hearted though very obviously fake laugh, Scott pointed to her very importantly with his next rock, hitting his chin up.

"I realise you're trying to be snide, Campbell, but be honest with us both now: would you put it past me? I don't think it'd surprise anyone who knew the least bit about myself if it turns out I am. Perfectly expected."

Though then, looking back at the girl in front of him, who was now taking the definitive lead, his smile softened.

"I'm only kidding, of course. Your successes are all your own, Anastasia, and plenty impressive, too. What can I say? You've got the knack for this game! While I, well, I have the humble athleticism of a leaf."

After making a bow, Scott put one foot dramatically in front of the other, and started waving his throwing arm back and forth a couple of times next to his side, throwing the rock a few inches up into the air each time his hand reached the front and then caught it again.

"But you are forgetting, Anastasia, that by ending up one point behind you I have successfully attained the role of the underdog. Everything can happen now! Can and will, mind you. I've seen plenty of things stranger than that happen."

strength 11 | wisdom 6 | accuracy 8

ACTION: Scott uses the conscious throw

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𝓐madea sat quite uncomfortably as she watched the two players. Whiel she was glad that the tensions had been eased from the beginning of the game, she was still a bit thrown as Ana had still really not said much at all. It was hard to commentate on the competitors when one remained completely silent. Then again, maybe it was part of Ana's strategy. She didn't want to get distracted by all of the banter that had accompanied some of the other rounds and decided to just focus on her throws instead.

Scott, on the other hand, was a ball of talkativeness just as he usually was. He somehow managed to knock on his skills at gobstones and also cheer himself on at the same time; a knack with words seemed to be something that Scott possessed while Amadea on the other hand, did not. Before she could say anything, the next round commenced. Ana seemed to be taking her time, mulling over a good strategy before she took her throw. While the strength behind her throw was on point, her accuracy was slightly off, as her gobstone rolled by Scott's without making any connection. "Aw better luck next time!" Amadea smiled at the Gryffindor.

Now it was Scott's turn. It seemed as though he had a similar problem with his own throw, his accuracy slightly off as his gobstone whizzed right by Ana's. This left him still one point behind. "Okay so Ana is still in the lead," Amadea announced, as if it wasn't already clear to the two players. "Scott you're up first for the next round."

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Player 1: @Anastasia Beckett Catapult throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 8 roll: 15 + 5 = 20 Wisdom: DC ≥ 11 roll: 19 + 9 = 28 Accuracy: DC ≥ 13 roll: 2 + 5 = 7 Throw failure Number of Gobstones left: 6

Player 2: @Scott Alexander Conscious throw - DC results Strength: DC ≥ 15 roll: 8 + 11 = 19 Wisdom: DC ≥ 10 roll: 8 + 6 = 14 Accuracy: DC ≥ 14 (LC) roll: 2 + 8 = 10 Throw failure Number of Gobstones left: 5

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SCOTT ALEXANDER TO POST FIRST.

"Ah... Seems like we both took two steps forwards and now two steps back. But that's alright! It's how you dance, I think. Well actually it's not... Unless you're really bad. But you understand where I'm getting at. All the same: the shamrock is only playing us a trick, and we shouldn't let it bother us!"

Speaking in first-person plural is a great way of boosting an ally's morale, and it doesn't at all make you sound like a serial killer.

"After all, you're still in the lead, like Amadea said. It's all too exciting to be over now! It's like in a movie, except I couldn't possibly tell you which one... I haven't seen all that many, truth be told. Does The Rescuers have a gobstones scene in it, Amadea? I shouldn't think it does, so don't quote me on it."

It was his turn to throw, as well. He really wasn't doing a very good job on that end but he couldn't help but feel like he was at least keeping his efforts up in the other. Still, wouldn't be too terrible to hit another one of her stones if only to show he was still playing and hadn't reverted completely to trying to make her laugh. it wasn't, Scott had realised in time, always that appreciated.

strength 11 | wisdom 6 | accuracy 8

ACTION: Scott uses the conscious throw