Event The Fall Ball (The Hunt) Finished

Interacting with @Dan Palmer, mentioning no one in particular

SAPPHIRE SIGHED, HAVING GOTTEN NO ANSWER TO HER EARLIER QUERY NOR TO HER COMMENT ABOUT ARGUING. However, she did hear another student, who seemed quite clueless as of what was going on. She didn’t really recognize him, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t help. Her anxiety made her feel obligated to not leave anyone out.

She faced the kid, prepared to explain the situation. "Okay, so first we were following the cat-" she motioned the cat as she spoke "And we kept finding candies on the ground. We don't quite know what the significance of the candies are - they seem pretty ordinary, but that could be completely wrong. Anyway, the cat has led us to this painting. I tried asking if anyone had seen anything else about it after I noticed it was unbalanced, but no one really answered me." She winced. That had sounded extremely petty, in her ears. "I apologize, I don't normally end up explaining things. Not the best at it," she mumbled. The tips of her ears turned red in embarrassment and she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh, and uhm... I'm Sapphire." she said, about ready to check out of the conversation. Unless of course she was dragged back into it, but she doubted that would happen. She wasn't the best person to hold a conversation with, she guessed.

FOR MODERATION:
Stats: Stamina - 7, Evasion - 8, Strength - 7, Wisdom - 9, Arc. Power - 7, Accuracy - 7
Species: Fully human
Action: Explaining things to Dan

As Lindsey Springhall | open to interactions
Interacting with @Wyatt Starkey
Mentioning @Elizabeth Isaacs | Leonard Oaksworth | Marshal Mozor | Cassandra Ironwoods | Mars T’ien | Scarlett Aden

Nothing. Had. Happened.

She was kinda disappointed that she had found nothing. Her spell was apparently successful, but nothing had happened — the sherbet lemon was plainly just a sherbet lemon. It seemed that every candy here was just candy. No one had put a secret spell or even a bomb in it.

“Huh.” she heard Wyatt commenting. She adored his frankness, for basically, she failed. Lindsey didn’t quite get the point of the boy though — he thought she was dumb? Or he thought the spell was too weak? Basically Lindsey believed that there’s no more use to investigate the candies anymore. She had tried, so maybe she could put her attention on some other things. Not very bad from that point of view. “Indeed, weird.” she answered in disappointment. “They are just sweets…”

She heard people talking. Talking loudly, which made her head ache. Lindsey had no will of entering the orbit and introduced herself to people discussing things there, for she knew that it would be useless. People might know something she didn’t, though she believed that it wouldn’t have much use. After all, she believed only in her own observations, and Wyatt’s.

Brown eyes wandered from person to person. Some people were trying to talk with portraits, and some were casting spells. And at that time she spotted someone familiar.

“Li — Liz?” she muttered, in great surprise. Well, that was Elizabeth Isaacs, whom she could definitely not mistaken. Though they hadn’t been exchanging letters or meeting for years…and Lindsey thought that Elizabeth had moved away. To Russia, maybe. But now she was there, perfectly well in one of the four houses. She blamed herself for the lack of attention during sorting, and didn’t even find that her old friend had arrived at Hogwarts. How weird.

Liz didn’t see her obviously, and Lindsey felt relieved. Meeting that girl again seemed weird. They hadn’t been talking for a long time, and though Lindsey still saw her as a sister, she didn’t know if Liz still remembered her or not. Probably she had already forgotten her. That might explain why she didn’t get her letter for such a long time.

Apart from Liz, she saw Leonard and Marshal over there, trying to figure out things together. And here came Cash and Mars, who obviously had just moved from the masquerade ball. Oh, also Scarlett, who was busy talking — a typical bubbly Gryffindor trait, huh?

“We’ve got to be prepared.” decidedly she turned her eyes on Wyatt again. Her wand was grabbed in her right hand tightly, and she was quite faithful that they could find out the clues. Anyways, they gotta start working now, right?

Chocolate brown eyes gazed again. The ghost had left already, but maybe he had left a message somewhere…or some other things had arrived.

Action: Investigating the corridors, being prepared
Stats: Stamina 7 | Evasion 6 | Strength 8 | Wisdom 7 | Arcane Power 6 | Accuracy 8
Abilities: Statistically Relevant | Lovely Creature

[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Reducio

ALLY LIST
-Wyatt Starkey
-Elizabeth Isaacs
-Scarlett Aden
-Leonard Oaksworth
-Marshal Mozor
-Casandra Ironwoods
-Mars T’ien

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Banner made by the amazing Eyre Reeves
Open to Interactions!
Interacting with herself
Mentioning: @Marshal Mozor | @Astrea Soleil Neptune
Hex Color: #FF4080
────────────────────── 𝒜 ──────────────────────

For Moderation:

Action: Follow the cat, investigate/observe
Health: 500/500
Abilities: Lovely Creature | Fearless | Terrible Presence
Stats: Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 9 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 6

Ana's head turned slightly as she heard someone, who likely thought themself to be spectacularly clever, taking the ghost's instructions literally. She wasn't particularly surprised upon discovering who it was and merely rolled her eyes. The characteristic expression was exacerbated by her dark lined eyes, and she turned her attention back to the task at hand. As she searched for anything hinting at the meaning of what was happening, her eyes flitted across the gathered bunch. There were a few people that she recognized, but other than Astrea, none she particularly trusted in a fight. While that wasn't to say that there weren't others she considered friends or at least an ally, it was to say that in Ana's not so humble opinion, they would be useless at best. There were also two of Ana's three least favorite redheads present, who she definitely didn't trust.

All in all, she wasn't overly confident in the ability of the group as a whole to face whatever might come their way. She also found it strange that no professors had seen fit to join them. One would think if a ghost came galloping in shouting about doom and gloom, that might be taken seriously. That made her wonder ever so slightly if this was a prank or something.

In the event it was a prank, she was going to be highly peeved. She had traded a night of dancing with a most lovely partner to frolic the castle like a lost kitten. Still, given the state of the world, she didn't think a prank like that would have gone over too well, so she banished the thoughts from her mind as she continued to look for clues, wand at the ready. All too often, things went south in a matter of seconds, and she wanted to be prepared. Hopefully, she was just paranoid, and both her wand and her hidden dagger would go the night unused, little more than expensive baubles.

She rather wished she had her broom with her. Not that it would have made much sense to bring that with her to a dance, but she liked the feeling of superiority and safety she got on her broom. It wasn't an entirely rational feeling, seeing as she had fallen more times than she could count and had bludgers and things pitched at her while she was flying, but for the Gryffindor, flying was more natural than anything else. The higher viewpoint could have proven useful as well.

Her dark eyes darted about, hungry for anything out of the ordinary. Well, that was everything at Hogwarts, so really anything out of an extraordinary ordinary...

Post Tracker:
1 2 3 4 5

Ally List for Lovely Creature
@Eyre Reeves
@Alan Vanes
@Marshal Mozor
@Astrea Soleil Neptune
@Søren Silverwood

Open to Interactions!
Interactions: @Søren Silverwood @Henry Knight
Mentions: @Alec Mason @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood @Kara Capricorn

Calanthe’s ears picked up on a voice nearby as Mosquito finished conversing with the portraits. She turned to find an entirely insignificant boy looking her way. Is he talking to me like that? Barely recognizing his face as someone from her year, she shot him a foul glare.

“Who the fu-,” she would have gone on if Mosquito hadn’t interrupted her with a remark of his own and a hand held upwards. She did not need him to quell her battles and wished he had not interrupted, but the young witch knew she had no energy to fight verbal battles tonight. I should be focused on the potential danger here, and not this oik. And what did Mosquito call me? Friend? The two were nothing of the sort. Mere aquintantances who helped each other out once. If asked, Calanthe would say she rather disliked Mosquito. He was not her friend. Still, if it gets that arse off my back...Whatever.

Unsuccessful in finding anything of note around the area, the witch followed the group as they pursued the cat, pocketing some candy from the ground on the way. She found herself unconsciously sticking near Mosquito. It made sense - he was the only person she knew here, other than that one bloke who may or may not have kissed her during the Gryffindor slumber party last year. She would have preferred to never see his face again. Aida was the last face in the crowd that she had spoken to, but there was no feeling of familiarity there. Still, Calanthe would keep an eye out for the pale-skinned witch as the night passed.

She listened to Mosquito and his group ramble on some, and found herself agreeing with him that this whole event seemed orchestrated. The portraits would never hold back information if the students were in any real danger. The image of a wand and bone cross came to mind as the group talked about it. Another girl pitched in with information, coming to the conclusion that the ghost may have been from St. Mudo’s...Mangoes...Mongoose…? What?

Floating over to the crowd in front of the portrait, Calanthe could barely see what they were fussing over. Some were casting spells at it and others were heckling. Practically everyone towered over her, so the witch abandoned her useless attempt at getting information. She returned to Mosquito’s group to overhear the last words of another second year. Mango Bonham... ? No... Mungo. Well, here goes nothing. She cupped her palms around her mouth and yelled down the corridor, “MUNGO BONHAM! GET YER MINGY WANKER OUT HERE! Uh, please. ”

Action: Yelling for the assumed Mungo Bonham to get his mingy wanker out there.
STA:10 | EVA:5 | STR:2 | WIS:7 | ARC:9 | ACC:9
Statistically Revelant (+2 Stamina) | Prodigal DADA

Aida’s Outfit:

Reducio

White admiral-style corset over a bell-sleeved white blouse, white silk skirt tails over white doeskin breeches, and white leather boots:

Action: Examine the painting and try to figure out what had happened to its inhabitant
Inventory: A rabbit-fur-lined leather bag containing an invisibility cloak and her eternal companion, a small pocket knife
Mention:@Anastasia Beckett
Stats: Stamina 3 ✵ Evasion 6 ✵ Strength 1 ✵ Wisdom 10 ✵ Arcane Power 10 ✵ Accuracy 10
Abilities: Blindvision ✵ Sixth Sense

MODERATION POST

The group had now stopped in front of a painting led there by the cat - an obvious sign that this was a clue or the problem they should solve. At least it should be obvious… but not for the poor and intimidated @Leonard Oaksworth. Although he tried to overcome it by doing smalltalk with his friends, he was still trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious cat and tried to figure out why the party was stopping here.

Observation Roll: Auto-fail due to Terrible Presence

When he turned his gaze towards the painting his eyes found Dmitri and Astrea. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he turned away, not only lost but now also frightened. Oh Merlin, boy, cling to the arm of your friend or you might lose the whole party!

Maybe @Piper Clark should help the poor Slytherin to finally bring some light into this confusing situation. The cat was right there and she looked so nice and mysterious. Did she act like a normal cat or was her behavior?

Observation Roll: Auto-fail due to Terrible Presence

Oops. Maybe she wasn’t the hero Leonard was waiting for. One would think that the two Slytherins would be used to the presence of Dmitri and Astrea, but apparently not. She too shuddered and turned away rather than look at them. Where had that damn cat gone?

@Anastasia Beckett wasn’t the one to save these two kids from their misery. Plus, she herself didn’t need the support of the other students. No. They were more annoying than helpful anyway. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself anyway. It couldn’t hurt to check the area for some hints. @Lindsey Springhall had a similar idea. The ghost wanted them to solve the riddle, right? He must have left clues and the candy wasn’t helpful after all, so maybe he’d just left a written message?

Observation Roll Ana(DC 20+2 (Lovely Creature)): 22
Clue roll: 1 [owl][owl]

Observation Roll Lindsey (DC 20+2 (Lovely Creature)): 15

Anastasia’s gaze caught on the painting. Hm. Something seemed odd. Maybe she should have a closer look…

Some of the other students had no problem finding out what this was all about. Obviously the painting, why else had the cat led them here? The clue, the key to the mystery was hidden in there for sure. Why was the man hurt? Did another painting cause that or was it even someone from outside?

Observation Roll @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 28
Clue Roll: 4 [owl]

Observation Roll @Andrew Vance (DC 15+2/29+2 (Lovely Creature)): 31
Clue Roll: 1,3 [owl]

Observation Roll @Cassandra Ironwoods (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): nat 1 → crit. Fail

Observation Roll @Dmitri Jones (DC 15+2/29+2 (Lovely Creature)): 31
Clue Roll: 1,2 [owled before]

Observation Roll @Elizabeth Isaacs (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 13

Observation Roll @Mars T'ien (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 9

Observation Roll Jacqueline Levant (@Allie Lewis) is (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 11

Observation Roll @Robert Toukmond (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 27
Clue Roll: 4 [owled before]

Observation Roll @Sapphire Riddle (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 17
Clue Roll: 2 [owled before]

Observation Roll Hanzo Fransson (@Rafael D'Spacito) (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 24
Clue Roll: 1 [owl]

And yes, there was something odd about this painting. Not only that a man was obviously dying there, but that was not the only thing that caught the gaze of some people.

@Ami Procoppio chose a rather pragmatic approach. Sometimes you have to act instead of just watch and talk. Let’s test if there was a physical external way to influence the events in a painting. She plucked a feather from her costume and aimed at said painting.

Accuracy Roll: Auto-fail due to Terrible Presence

But when her eyes fell on Anastasia, who watched the corridor like a cerberus, she lost focus. Distracted she let her hand rush forward and forgot to let go of the feather. Instead she hit her companion Charles. The feather landed precisely on his nose, tickled him and made him sneeze. Well, now we know at least that physical objects can influence other people. But we wouldn't make the man in the picture sneeze...

There were quite a few people whose first instinct was to talk, or, in some cases, interrogate the dying man in the portrait, despite the fact that he was bleeding out, only breathing shallowly, and rather clearly too weak to speak.

Observation Roll Howard (DC nat 20): 19
Observation Roll Alexander (DC nat 20): 25
Observation Roll Cassie Heather (DC nat 20): 15
Observation Roll Scarlett (DC nat 20): 18

There were some weak lip movements of the man in the painting, but @Howard White, Alexander Ward (@Lydia Cooper), Cassie Heather McGregor-Martin (@Lucia Fox), and @Scarlett Aden would not be able to hear anything of use. Clues would have to be found elsewhere, time was running out for this man.

Others had a similar idea, but went to paintings around (or rather far) to gain some insight in what had happened to the poor man.

@Alina Rosier, for one, had a big heart for the paintings of Hogwarts and was on friendly terms with some of them, so she ran off to talk to her dear friend, the wizard astronomer George von Rheticus - or well, his portrait - asking him to help the poor man before it was too late.

Charisma Roll (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 18

Sir George’s eyes were sincere and apologetic, but he shook his head. “I am sorry, my dear child, but only the one person who was meant to save him will be able to. He is the one you are looking for. Find him.”

@Søren Silverwood listened to the advice he’d been given earlier, and tried to talk to portraits as well - but he chose ones that were both able to speak and nearer to the scene. Maybe they had seen something?

Charisma Roll (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 18
Clue Roll: 2

Charmed by the pretty boy’s politeness, a matronly woman was immediately ready to spread what gossip she knew. “Oh, that man? Everyone knows he was at feud with this other chap, I believe there was a woman involved. Not a pleasant fellow, that man, loud and arrogant. I believe his portrait can be found near the Gryffindor common room?”

@Callista Lovis had a similar impulse, and also went to other portraits for help. Did they know what happened to that man, she wanted to know.

Charisma Roll (DC 15+2 (Lovely Creature)): 18

A young fellow’s portrait took pity on the shy girl, and gave her a response quite similar to what Søren had found out. “I didn’t see what happened, but I believe I know who did it. They were feuding while they were still alive, and their portraits mimicked that behaviour, as we all tend to do. Look near the Gryffindor common room, he shouldn’t be hard to miss.”

Others were less interested in what had happened, and more concerned with how to fix it. @Alexa Mackenzie had the idea that, since this was a painting, maybe repairing it would do the trick?

Alexa casts Reparo (WDC 8 + 2 (Lovely Creature))
Wisdom Roll: 20

She cast the mending charm on the portrait. A keen observer might notice some minor flaws on the frame fixing themselves, a small scratch in the oil paint vanishing. It did not help the blood flowing from the man’s chest: The painting itself hadn’t been damaged.

@Elisabeth Erner’s approach was even more direct, more impulse than thought, maybe. She stormed forward to press her hand on the man’s chest, trying to stop the blood flow the way Muggles did.

Accuracy Roll (DC 15): 23 - 1 (Charmer)

She managed to press her hands on the puppet sized man’s chest, precisely hitting the wound, but would only feel the painted canvas below her palms. No flesh, no blood, no effect. Wonder what she expected?

Romeo Marchonné (@Piérre Marchonné), finally joined by his companion Hanzo, was thinking more along the lines of compassion, giving comfort to a man in pain, even a painted one. He decided to provide a light show - as distraction, maybe?

Romeo casts Green Sparks (DC 6 + 2 (Lovely Creature))
Wisdom Roll: 15

Green Sparks sprang merrily from Romeo’s wand, showering down around the painting. Maybe it drew some “Oooohs” and “Aaaahs” from the bystanders, at least those easily impressed by such things. Maybe there was a slight, although very pained, smile on the painted man’s face?

@Henry Knight’s thoughts, after distributing tasks and giving commands, were also drawn by the idea of providing more light, although less as entertainment, and more to make him and his fellow riddle-solvers see better. Maybe clues would be easier to spot! Deciding that the merrily flickering torches that were placed along the walls every few meters did not provide enough illumination, he took it upon himself to fix this deficit.

Henry casts Lumos Maxima (DC 11 + 2 (Lovely Creature))
Wisdom Roll: 24

Light flooded the corridor, making those around him blink at the sudden brightness. Suddenly every detail was highlighted - but it hadn’t been that dark to begin with. Would more clues come to light this way, or did he just draw the ire of the paintings around who were trying to sleep?

His fellow self-appointed leader @Kara Capricorn’s thoughts were still with the phantasmal cat, now lovingly named Star. Although several students in the group had successfully determined that it was, indeed, a ghost, none of them had chosen to share this information, and Kara’s knowledge about patronuses prompted her to attempt to touch Star, in hopes she might reveal her message. Her fingers would glide through the graceful spirit’s head without effect except for an icy shiver running up through her arm. Star turned to look up at the girl, her eyes startlingly intelligent, and started to purr.

@Calanthe Choi, for one, was still caught up with the mysterious rider’s name. After Kara had mentioned seeing an odd crest on the ghost’s clothing and Callista correctly identified it as the emblem of St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Kara had the idea that the rider might have been the founder of said hospital, Mungo Bonham. For some reason, however, Calanthe was the one to take up that suggestion, and call the name.

Ghost Listen Roll: 18

Wherever was that ghost? He’d disappeared through a solid wall of stone earlier and hadn’t been seen since, and Calanthe’s impressively sweet and polite call was not enough to reach him.

@Martyna Romero and @Starlee Kennedy rather watched their fellow students and let them do the dirty work. Watching was much more comfortable and in the meantime, when you were not busy at all, you could also just eat sweets. Sweets you found on the floor! One could only hope that the caretaker @Kit Paine and his house elves had cleaned the corridors spotlessly. Ew.

Eating candy Martyna: Auto-fail due to Terrible Presence
Eating candy Starlee: Auto-fail due to Terrible Presence

Fascinated, they followed the activities of their fellow students. Perhaps a little too fascinated. When they were hit by the piercing looks of some of their classmates, they faltered in their movement, the unwrapped candy didn’t end up where it was supposed to be… Martyna missed her mouth and the candy dropped into the collar of her own shirt while Starlee managed to somehow get it into her eye. Maybe it had been a good idea to leave the more complicated work to others after all...

OOC Information:

• If you have the ability Lovely Creature, Calming Presence or Charmer, and you haven’t done so yet, please define your allies in your next post. This decision applies from the next moderation post to the end of the thread.
• This thread is now closed for new people to join.
  • Anyone who stated they are joining before the respective deadlines is assumed to be with the group and can post.
  • Exceptions for people who did not state they are joining before the deadline can be made if you have an IC explanation for how your character knows where to find the group. In that case, please contact us for permission.
• The next moderation will take place on November 21th.
• This is a moderated event, please state your actions (spells, attacks, observation attempts) accordingly. We will be rolling for them during moderation. You only have one action per moderation post.
• You can return to the Costume Party and the Masquerade at any point (as long as you're not involved in combat )
• If you have any questions feel free to owl Dealla Prince or Ileen Knight.

Allies for Abilities:

Reducio

1. Lovely Creature
   • Anastasia Beckett: Eyre Reeves, Alan Vanes, Marshal Mozor, Astrea Soleil Neptune, Soren Silverwood
   • Lindsey Springhall: Wyatt Starkey, Elizabeth Isaacs, Scarlett Aden, Leonard Oaksworth, Marshal Mozor, Cassandra Ironwoods, Mars T’ien
   • Jacqueline Levant (Allie Lewis): Cassie Heather McGregor-Martin (Lucia Fox), Scarlett Aden
   • Dan Palmer: Everyone in the thread except Dmitri Jones, Jack Burnett
2. Charmer
   • Charles Woodward: Ami Procoppio, Scott Alexander
   • Søren Silverwood: Calanthe Choi, Henry Knight, Anastasia Beckett
   • Dealla Prince: Everyone in the thread

010.16.20 → ic date

allies [for calming presence]: everyone joining the hunt

♡ interacting with alan [@Alan Vanes] • open to other interactions ♡

Knowing how Hogwarts' events usually went, Frost would have obviously followed the ghost cat. Though she did feel bad for leaving Del and Amadea at the costume party, she couldn't just let this happen and sit idly by. Besides, if anything happened at the party, the two other girls were much more capable than Frost was. They would have another chance to bond soon, the girl would make sure of it. Several thoughts along the line of 'what am I getting myself into' swished in her mind as she followed the ghostly cat figure along with a big group of students.

Her hurried steps were drowned out by the sounds of all the other's steps as they tried their best to keep up with the cat. The adorable cat figure had started playing with a real- or at least she hoped it was real- cat in an adorable dragon costume. The boy who had been following the cat and calling him 'Tiger', who she could only assume was the dragon cat's owner, had also been dressed in dragon attire. Claws, wings, and all. It was a sight that had made a bubbly giggle come from Frost, quite odd but charming to see a dragon boy chasing after his matching dragon cat.

"I like your costume," she spoke casually to the dragon boy as they still both followed the ghost cat. "Ah, and your cat's costume as well." Frost nodded to Tiger and looked back to Alan, giving him that signature beaming smile she always seemed to carry. The ghost cat started trailing further and further until it decided to stare up at a... painting? Why a regular painting? It was- oh my. Frost had gasped at seeing the poor painting's inhabitant laying in a pool of blood, most likely his own. Even though he was a painting, Frost could not ignore the pain and pleading in his eyes. What should she do?

Automatically, she had wanted to repair the painting, as it was a painting. But the girl had refrained from doing so as she heard another girl attempt to cast the charm. "Maybe I can..." The girl took the chance and attempted to heal the painting. "Reparifors."Although it was most likely a dumb idea, wasn't it better than nothing? Plus, it was an idea coming from Frost- known for being nice but not the brightest of the bunch- what did they expect?

♡ stats + abilities + action!♡

stamina 10, evasion 11, strength 1, wisdom 8, arcpower 10, accuracy 10
healing sage • calming presence • fearless • spell spread
trunk frosty's trunk

action: attempting to cast reparifors on the painting?

✿

interactions [all]
interaction status [open]
mentions viridian vipers, all gathered, ghosts

position gathered with slyth duel team
previous posts 1 2 3 4

More people joined the group, enough that the echoing hallway seemed filled with a smaller, more sinister-sounding party of its own. Some she recognised vaguely in the halls or in class, some she didn't care much for at all, but those who bore a brooch of emerald and silver like her own she trusted the most at this moment. After all, the Viridian Viper duel team was a powerful bunch she was silently proud to be included in, powerful and dangerous to cross. Tournaments were coming up- and while she couldn't yet duel properly in such a thing she could hone such skill amongst like-minded individuals. Such prowess would be useful in such a situation they were in at that very moment.

Brushing past through the gathered people to congregate with the rest of the present Vipers at Dmitri's stare, she kept a vigilant eye and ear out for the suspicious activity that so enjoyed shrouding the predicaments here at Hogwarts. Her captain was not happy- that much was apparent- and for a good reason. After all, they were going nowhere and while her schoolmates filled the halls with theories many of them repeated the already known. A marked cloak- while Astrea could not touch the origin of the symbol it seemed that some others in the team were luckier, [VV knowledge]? Personally, Astrea hadn't the reason to visit such a place but this was a stronger piece of evidence than they had before. Say, wasn't collaboration a good if draining thing?

Sweeping their surroundings, she was quite intrigued to find the peculiar painting's stark empty space amidst rows of intricately animated others, the bloodied man in the bottom right corner the only contrasting figure. The unfamiliar inscription carved into the frame- she knew not of these names, but were they even names in the first place? What was stopping them from being something else, perhaps scrambled? Obscure. But important enough for the cat to stop in front of it in their wild goose chase for answers about- something? Hmm.

Keeping the scene in mind as many others joined in the investigation, Astrea took the time to turn her attention away and sweep over the varying levels of comprehension within the group with a scrutinising look. How strange, to mention the idea of fathers and funniness together, but a thought unimportant. Whatever- the dark-haired stranger looked rather skittish, whether from natural personality or the stress of information it was not clear. Her blank look probably didn't help much. Mindless small talk about consuming their candy and introductions converged into a wash of conversation that echoed through the hallway and became white noise within her mind. Yet at least one of the many interactions was significant enough to make the constant vigilance worthwhile- a particularly simply dressed child, probably from the Costume Party if she had to guess, inserting in the location of Saint Mungo's as another with a significantly shorter haircut than typically seen publically addressed the situation. Shooting a glance out the corner of her vision back to the rest of her team, she said nothing as the paintings offered their vague advice.

Oh, there were first years among them. First years and fresh-faced second years who must have somehow avoided mortal danger their first time around and international guests. Logically- because Astrea's mind was prone to jump to the hard facts and reality of a situation over easily-disregarded ideas like feelings unless given a good reason- they should not have come along and should have just stayed within the walls of their dorms. It was undeniable that these poor children were soon in for a painful introduction to the danger that the school hosted on a regular basis. Perhaps next time they would be wiser but while October-taught eleven and twelve-year-olds lacked in magical, there was safety in numbers. And that safety, however wavering, was something they would all need.

Action: Constant Vigilance, Readied for Battle, Look Around

Abilities: Terrible Presence | Lovely Creature | Spell Spread
Stats: Sta 5 | Eva 9 | Str 2 | Wis 9 | Arc 10 | Acc 10
Allies: Viridian Vipers (Dmitri J, Opeila W, Henry K, Starlee K.), Anastasia B.

Reducio

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Banner made by the amazing Eyre Reeves
Open to Interactions!
Interacting with everyone around, @Astrea Soleil Neptune
Mentioning:
Hex Color: #FF4080
────────────────────── 𝒜 ──────────────────────

For Moderation:

Action: Shout "Paran Taja!", investigate/observe, call everyone else stupid, join Astrea
Health: 500/500
Abilities: Lovely Creature | Fearless | Terrible Presence
Stats: Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 9 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 6

Ana's eyes narrowed as they caught sight of an inscription at the bottom of the plate frame. Ignoring her classmates harassing the dying man in the portrait, she moved closer to get a better look at it. She arched an eyebrow at hearing someone cast Reparo. It wasn't the painting that was damaged, it was the man in it. A healing spell might help, but Ana couldn't be certain. Were the paintings' occupants considered people for the purposes of a healing spell? She made a mental note to inquire about that the next time she had a moment. Reading the inscription, she furrowed her brow further.

"Paran Taja saves Laiks Denbora."

But there was only one person in the painting. The bleeding man. Was he Laiks? Then where the bloody hell had the person who was meant to save him disappeared to? "Paran Taja!" she called. The ghost had said something about calling names, and with all the people around her shouting nonsense, she doubted she would particularly stick out. Her eyes flicked about, spectacularly unimpressed with her companions. Dying people weren't exactly known for their ability to share vital information, quite the opposite, actually. More importantly, why was this man in the painting important enough for the cat to have lead them there? If he was in a painting like this, it was fairly safe to assume he was dead by now, right?

"Oh, for God's sake, why must all of you torture a dying man?" she muttered. Was there anything important about the names themselves? While she had an O in History of Magic, she didn't pay particularly close attention. Granted, both of the names were fairly unique, but neither rung a bell. Her eyes flicked back and forth for a moment as if reading invisible equations, running through combinations of anagrams. She had been rather good at making anagrams when she was younger, and her lengthy name had given her no shortage of letters to work with. Despite this, she came up empty-handed. Irritably, she decided to speak to whoever else might be there. Perhaps they spent their time on a useless hobby that would cause them to know the meaning of the names. "Do any of you spectacular intellects know who Paran Taja is? He's supposed to be saving Laiks Denbora in the painting over there," she said, loudly and authoritatively enough that anyone around would hear, but not shouting like some of her less cultured classmates were. Her tone on "spectacular intellects" was less than complimentary, but she had managed to keep a fair amount of sarcasm from her voice. Drifting over to one of the few people that seemed to potentially know anything, Ana continued to observe and look for more clues. "One would think after enough of these things, they would figure out a way to prevent them," she remarked to Astrea.

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