3 Dec 2020, 17:43
Duelling Discussions
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It was a good thing the day after his duel was a Monday.
Mondays started with classes and that meant Ruka didn't have any chance to dwell on his devastating defeat, or his team mate's out of the blue betrayal. No, all he really had time for was to get dressed in his school uniform, pack his messenger bag with all the necessary supplies, and make his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
By the time he arrived, the Gryffindor table was already crowded; friends gathering for the latest chit-chat before classes would take over the rest of their day, some kids eagerly scribbling away on grease stained parchment to catch up with homework they had forgotten about over the weekend. Ruka tried but failed to find a familiar face, someone who's comfortable company he would be able to share for the next half an hour or so. He had never been well acquainted with his Housemates, and despite how much he had thought that was going to change after joining the Duelling Team, he still felt just as much a stranger at his own House Table as he had the previous couple of years.
A part of him wanted to turn around, seek out his brother maybe, or join Dealla at the Ravenclaw table if she was there yet, but what was the point of running away all the time? Clinging to what was comfortable just meant he would never experience anything other than that, and maybe it was going to do him some good to not cling to the same people over and over again for a change.
So with a heavy sigh, he walked along the table, searching for a free spot. There was some space close to a group of friends hastily going through their notes in preparation for a potential pop quiz, and Ruka just offered them a little nod as he placed his messenger bag on the bench and took a seat for himself, reaching for a plate to fill with bacon and eggs. Despite the magic used to heal all ailments in the Hospital Wing, Ruka thought he could still feel the soreness of his muscles and the painful pull of humiliation creeping down his spine, but as he had learned over the summer: There were few things that couldn't be cured by a nice filling breakfast.
Reaching for his goblet of Pumpkin juice, Ruka groaned as he tilted it too far towards himself, spilling some of the liquid on his robes. Luckily the stains barely showed on the black material, but it didn't lessen his exasperation either way. Perhaps he just needed to stop touching things. And holding things. And doing things.
With the gentle dab of a napkin on his robes, Ruka collected any excess fluid and closed his eyes before resting his head in the palms of his hands, moist napkin pressed against the bridge of his nose.
It wasn't the best start into the week but it would have to do.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
3 Dec 2020, 22:39
Duelling Discussions
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
Defeat was a humbling experience which many considered to be unnecessary. But it was only in the aftermath of failure that one was often forced to reconsider the fundamentals of their approach. Or bemoan their terrible luck.
Whichever was the case, Ruka soon found his already burdened spirit piled on by the weight of another.
“Hello,” a short, spectacled boy slid into the seat in front of him, eyeing him intently for signs of an awakening of the beast within the warrior. Instead, a soft squelch was heard as Ruka proceeded to smear pumpkin juice across his nose bridge.
I was hoping to meet with the Hufflepuff girls, but they were far too popular, so I suppose I’ll have to settle for you.
He couldn’t say that, but he thought it nonetheless. He wondered humorously if the boy before him would be able to punch him in the face should he succeed in rousing him to anger. He wondered if his broken body would be able to generate enough force to deal a proper pivotal strike. But Jackson was no sadist. He was a learner, and he was there to learn.
“Did it hurt when you lost?” he inquired out of obligatory concern for his fellow housemate whom he had never spoken to before. He deliberately left the nature of his question vague in order to leave openings to probe further. Whether Ruka chose to interpret it physically or emotionally would bear fruitful knowledge. Besides, Jackson was no stranger to failure.
Pain is an old friend.
Defeat was a humbling experience which many considered to be unnecessary. But it was only in the aftermath of failure that one was often forced to reconsider the fundamentals of their approach. Or bemoan their terrible luck.
Whichever was the case, Ruka soon found his already burdened spirit piled on by the weight of another.
“Hello,” a short, spectacled boy slid into the seat in front of him, eyeing him intently for signs of an awakening of the beast within the warrior. Instead, a soft squelch was heard as Ruka proceeded to smear pumpkin juice across his nose bridge.
I was hoping to meet with the Hufflepuff girls, but they were far too popular, so I suppose I’ll have to settle for you.
He couldn’t say that, but he thought it nonetheless. He wondered humorously if the boy before him would be able to punch him in the face should he succeed in rousing him to anger. He wondered if his broken body would be able to generate enough force to deal a proper pivotal strike. But Jackson was no sadist. He was a learner, and he was there to learn.
“Did it hurt when you lost?” he inquired out of obligatory concern for his fellow housemate whom he had never spoken to before. He deliberately left the nature of his question vague in order to leave openings to probe further. Whether Ruka chose to interpret it physically or emotionally would bear fruitful knowledge. Besides, Jackson was no stranger to failure.
Pain is an old friend.
Discord: Valentine#6117
4 Dec 2020, 10:33
Duelling Discussions
@Jackson Valentine
Ruka was not usually approached by his own Housemates, so upon the thought of footsteps drawing nearer there was only one possibility on his mind: Yet another Hufflepuff girl about to punch him in the face. It was a good thing he was currently hiding it behind his hands then, and not giving much of a target.
He was prepared for the impact, could feel an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he tried to figure out what exactly he had done now to give someone a reason to be upset. Had it not been enough for Hufflepuff to absolutely crush them in their duel the day before? Weren't the badgers supposed to be of the peaceful sort? How was it possible then that Ruka got to see so much of their more violent streak?
However, he seemed to have been wrong in his anticipation, because no fist collided with his face or even the backs of his hands; Instead an unfamiliar voice made him blink against the darkness, focusing on the vibrant colours between the white spots blurring his vision as he moved his hands to lie flat on the table. In front of him, where there had been the familiar company of absolutely nobody before, now sat a boy Ruka had never seen or at least not paid any attention to before. He seemed young, younger than Ruka himself probably, but appearances could be misleading and assumptions could prove dangerous more often than not.
The question he was asked gave Ruka cause to roll his shoulders and straighten his back as if he needed to be both physically and emotionally prepared for this conversation. It wasn't difficult to figure out that the boy was talking about the duel - What other public loss had Ruka suffered recently that was worth being approached about? - but the vagueness of the question was surprising. Most people didn't beat around the bush, but what they had to say was usually also not quite as impactful as the question the other boy had just confronted him with.
Did it hurt?
It was open to interpretation - Physical pain or emotional pain? Certainly, being hit by that Knockback Jinx was painful, dancing against his will was exhausting, but the moment in which he had lost consciousness, the moment in which he had actually lost was also the moment when all his pain had evaporated. He could still hear his brother's outraged voice yelling at Zykeal shortly before he passed out, could remember smiling faintly as he let his body slump to the ground in defeat.
Emotional pain was something Ruka was not unfamiliar with, never had been, but losing his duel was not exactly something that gave him that same sense of devastation. Vague disappointment would have probably described it more accurately. What had been infinitely more hurtful than losing, had been the moment in which his own partner had turned his wand on him, had uttered the incantation to send Ruka's own element of all things on the attack against him.
"Losses teach you about your flaws," he decided to say eventually, tilting his head to the side to look at the other boy thoughtfully. "Learning a thing or two about yourself has never hurt anybody." A little smile spread on his face as he folded his hands in front of him, the pumpkin juice stained napkin still bunched up between his fingers.
Leaning forward a little, Ruka narrowed his eyes, green irises sparkling with interest. "But I can't imagine you care much about whether I got hurt or not." After all, they didn't know one another and Ruka had clearly not taken any lasting damage, so any concern implied by the other boy's question wasn't genuine. "So why do you ask?"
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
4 Dec 2020, 11:01
Duelling Discussions
“Why wouldn’t I care?” the boy responded with a question in kind. “We’re housemates. I seem to recall that we’re supposed to be family.”
Although spoken jokingly, he wasn’t entirely joking. It was naive to expect a pair of strangers to embrace one another like brothers in arms, but anyone who saw clearly what had transpired the day of the duel would know that a lion had wounds to nurse, wounds that cut far deeper than the surface.
“Maybe that’s true. If your flaws involved not expecting Zykeal to turn his wand on you,” he said with uneasy reassurance.
Jackson lowered his gaze slightly as he took a sip of his orange juice. The elephant in the room had been addressed.
“Did you step on his toes or something? Like dude, what he did wasn’t just uncool. It was completely uncalled for. You guys could’ve won if the First Year was taken out early.”
His analytical expression softened as he searched the older boy’s face for a reason. How did it happen? How did the Team Captain let it happen? What happened shouldn’t have happened.
Somewhere behind them, loud cheering erupted at the Hufflepuff table. Jackson could only guess what the cause of it was.
Although spoken jokingly, he wasn’t entirely joking. It was naive to expect a pair of strangers to embrace one another like brothers in arms, but anyone who saw clearly what had transpired the day of the duel would know that a lion had wounds to nurse, wounds that cut far deeper than the surface.
“Maybe that’s true. If your flaws involved not expecting Zykeal to turn his wand on you,” he said with uneasy reassurance.
Jackson lowered his gaze slightly as he took a sip of his orange juice. The elephant in the room had been addressed.
“Did you step on his toes or something? Like dude, what he did wasn’t just uncool. It was completely uncalled for. You guys could’ve won if the First Year was taken out early.”
His analytical expression softened as he searched the older boy’s face for a reason. How did it happen? How did the Team Captain let it happen? What happened shouldn’t have happened.
Somewhere behind them, loud cheering erupted at the Hufflepuff table. Jackson could only guess what the cause of it was.
Discord: Valentine#6117
4 Dec 2020, 12:35
Duelling Discussions
@Jackson Valentine
Ruka rose his eyebrows at the boy in front of him, a quiet sound of amusement bubbling up from his lungs. A hand balled around the stained napkin for a moment but the smile remained in place as he mustered the other boy a bit more closely.
"Family is a strong word," he pointed out with a small shrug before tossing the napkin to the side and taking another sip of his pumpkin juice. Over two years spent at this school and Ruka wouldn't have considered anybody in House Gryffindor to be anything even close to Family. "Gonna find some bloodthirsty lions around here so better be a bit careful who you give that term to." His smile didn't waver as he spoke; It wasn't a threat, barely even a warning, just a fact. He had faced some bloodthirsty lions himself and he wasn't going to encourage anybody to set foot in their cave.
Tilting his head to the other side, Ruka hummed thoughtfully, a small laugh accompanying the end of the other boy's words. "That was definitely an oversight," he admitted with a nod, tapping his fingers against the goblet.
One, Two, Three
"Taking her out - not me - was the plan," Ruka said, a small frown creasing his forehead as he listened to the other boy's words. He sounded like he had put thought into the way the duel should have gone, was clearly interested if he had bothered to take note of their names, unless he actually knew Zykeal personally of course. "I think he isn't fond of the friends I keep," he pointed out. Friends. Slip of the tongue maybe? Shaking his head to himself, Ruka took another sip of his juice. "Because he thinks they should be his friends alone, maybe."
Well, if that had been the intention then Zykeal's actions had backfired severely because Dealla had not seemed happy about the development at all.
"Either way, I doubt he'll be staying on as my partner, at least. Can't have any liabilities on the team." He chuckled lightheartedly like it didn't really matter. It didn't, really. Zykeal was not his problem anymore. Offering the boy across him a nod and a smile, Ruka put the topic aside with a wave of his hand. "Sounds like you followed the duel quite closely," he noted with a hum. "What's your name then?"
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
4 Dec 2020, 13:45
Duelling Discussions
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
“J-“ he began all too mechanically, designed to respond to the name upon the tip of his tongue with wordless efficiency. It was the name his father had given him and the name which his father had called him. He was no longer his father’s tool.
“Valentine,” he responded coolly, raising the glass of orange juice to his lips again without breaking eye contact. He sipped and lowered the glass in hand, other hand in pocket. Ruka was right. He had more than merely followed the events that had transpired that night. In fact some might have even called it an unhealthy obsession.
“It was cool to watch. I like that the school is preparing us for threats in the real world. I’ve had it in mind to join the duelling club for a while. Why are you in it?”
His sharp tongued response wasn’t meant as an insult, but more of a genuine question. Duelling wasn’t a simple hobby. It was a high risk sport, and it baffled him why people like Zykeal would choose to participate in it. When serious injury was on the table, petty grievances and an inflated sense of self had no place to be. Complacency led to disaster, and there were more than one way in which the aforementioned could breed complacency.
“J-“ he began all too mechanically, designed to respond to the name upon the tip of his tongue with wordless efficiency. It was the name his father had given him and the name which his father had called him. He was no longer his father’s tool.
“Valentine,” he responded coolly, raising the glass of orange juice to his lips again without breaking eye contact. He sipped and lowered the glass in hand, other hand in pocket. Ruka was right. He had more than merely followed the events that had transpired that night. In fact some might have even called it an unhealthy obsession.
“It was cool to watch. I like that the school is preparing us for threats in the real world. I’ve had it in mind to join the duelling club for a while. Why are you in it?”
His sharp tongued response wasn’t meant as an insult, but more of a genuine question. Duelling wasn’t a simple hobby. It was a high risk sport, and it baffled him why people like Zykeal would choose to participate in it. When serious injury was on the table, petty grievances and an inflated sense of self had no place to be. Complacency led to disaster, and there were more than one way in which the aforementioned could breed complacency.
Discord: Valentine#6117
6 Dec 2020, 15:27
Duelling Discussions
@Jackson Valentine
Introductions weren't usually something people had difficulty with, so when the other boy started to answer the question of his name, Ruka blinked in slight surprise when he interrupted himself to give a different one from the one he had seemingly initially wanted to give.
J was what his answer had originally started with, but the name he gave didn't start with that letter at all, so what exactly had he wanted to introduce himself as? Just Valentine? Jolly Valentine? Whatever it was, Valentine didn't seem to want to offer more than that, but Ruka wasn't one to just let things slide without a word.
"J-Valentine," he said with an amused grin, nodding his head in acknowledgment. Instead of asking for Ruka's own name, Jolly Valentine continued the conversation seamlessly, which gave Ruka the impression that the other boy more than likely had learned all their names from watching their duels and was in no need of introductions.
I like the challenge," Ruka answered easily, reaching for his fork to have a bite of bacon before elaborating. "I like to learn things and practice them. And I like a bit of danger." Chuckling quietly, Ruka shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head to the side to mustered Valentine curiously. Their Duelling club had not turned out to be quite as popular as Ruka had expected it to be - Most people were much more invested in Quidditch in any case - so he had not yet met anybody who had voiced their plain interest in joining it so sincerely.
Considering that Valentine had actually gone to watch the duels as well as approach him about it, it seemed like the kid was serious. "Why would you join?" he asked, eyebrows raised in question. "Suppose I'll be down a partner for the next round, so this might be a good time to apply if you're really interested."
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
6 Dec 2020, 18:49
Duelling Discussions
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
For a moment, the boy’s orange juice was left suspended in the air by his lips. He blinked once, a flurry of thoughts entering his mind as he sank back into his chair. With a soft popping sound, his mouth disconnected from the glass, leaving an orange stain around its brim as he set it back down on the table.
“I suppose I want to join because I don’t quite know what’s real anymore.”
The severity of his answer was true in more ways than one. People often underplayed how jarring it was for muggle-borns to be told that they were wizards. For pure bloods who had been conditioned all their lives to the fact, ignorance was something hardly fathomable. But not only was jarring; it had a tendency to turn one’s whole world upside down.
“Imagine knowing reality as it is. And then, one day you’re told that everything you know about reality is a lie and that there’s another secret other side to reality that borders on fantasy. Would you go crazy?
Before his eleventh birthday, Valentine was under the impression that he was being groomed to be a doctor or a lawyer. His whole life had been planned out before him. He would work like a machine to perform well academically before entering a prestigious college to attain further qualifications for a scholarship abroad to an Ivy League university. Then, he would use his qualifications to apply for a white collar job and his parents would for the first time in his life allow him some agency over what he wanted to do and where he would go. He would have achieved their definition of success, and he couldn’t have been happier. Instead, he had been made to confront a new standard of truth, one that perplexed him more than any question ever had. All his plans had come to nothing, and all his prior efforts were merely a bloodstained painting of his now irrelevant backstory.
“I guess duelling is the realest thing I’ve felt in a while. The rush of adrenaline and the legitimacy of the threats we are learning to face. I haven’t felt anything this real for a long time.”
His initial grin all but sank into an uneasy contemplation.
“Maybe this is how I’ll learn to control my life again.”
For a moment, the boy’s orange juice was left suspended in the air by his lips. He blinked once, a flurry of thoughts entering his mind as he sank back into his chair. With a soft popping sound, his mouth disconnected from the glass, leaving an orange stain around its brim as he set it back down on the table.
“I suppose I want to join because I don’t quite know what’s real anymore.”
The severity of his answer was true in more ways than one. People often underplayed how jarring it was for muggle-borns to be told that they were wizards. For pure bloods who had been conditioned all their lives to the fact, ignorance was something hardly fathomable. But not only was jarring; it had a tendency to turn one’s whole world upside down.
“Imagine knowing reality as it is. And then, one day you’re told that everything you know about reality is a lie and that there’s another secret other side to reality that borders on fantasy. Would you go crazy?
Before his eleventh birthday, Valentine was under the impression that he was being groomed to be a doctor or a lawyer. His whole life had been planned out before him. He would work like a machine to perform well academically before entering a prestigious college to attain further qualifications for a scholarship abroad to an Ivy League university. Then, he would use his qualifications to apply for a white collar job and his parents would for the first time in his life allow him some agency over what he wanted to do and where he would go. He would have achieved their definition of success, and he couldn’t have been happier. Instead, he had been made to confront a new standard of truth, one that perplexed him more than any question ever had. All his plans had come to nothing, and all his prior efforts were merely a bloodstained painting of his now irrelevant backstory.
“I guess duelling is the realest thing I’ve felt in a while. The rush of adrenaline and the legitimacy of the threats we are learning to face. I haven’t felt anything this real for a long time.”
His initial grin all but sank into an uneasy contemplation.
“Maybe this is how I’ll learn to control my life again.”
Discord: Valentine#6117
8 Dec 2020, 08:45
Duelling Discussions
@Jackson Valentine
Ruka couldn't help but laugh lightly as Jolly Valentine started talking about not knowing what's real anymore, of thinking one thing but finding out the next day that it was completely different from what he had thought it was like.
If there was one person who was familiar with that - more familiar than strictly comfortable, really - then it was Ruka, the street urchin, the adopted kid, the fire dancer turned wizard over night.
"Don't really have to imagine," he pointed out with a shake of his head, leaning back a little as he hummed thoughtfully. "I know exactly what that's like. Hasn't made me crazy yet, I like to just go with the flow." A small smile stretched his lips, fingers tapping a gentle One, two, three against the table top.
As Valentine continued to talk, Ruka's expression softened a little bit, eyes focusing on the other boy's face with a curious gaze. He wanted to control his life again? That was also something Ruka wasn't unfamiliar with, had struggled with for months before he had been blessed with the stability and unconditional love of his new family. Sometimes he still felt like things were far too out of his control, but he was doing better. Joining Duelling had definitely contributed to his newfound control of his own life as well.
"Who's controlling it right now?" Ruka asked, keeping up a constant One, Two, Three with the tap of his fingers against dark wood. "Or would you just say it's out of anybody's control at the moment?" That was how Ruka had felt throughout the second half of the last school year; Like nothing was under his control anymore and everyone would have been able to take over but just didn't. If it hadn't been for his brother, Ruka may have never learned to take back the reins again.
Maybe J-Valentine was having a similar problem.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
8 Dec 2020, 09:45
Duelling Discussions
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
"Or would you just say it's out of anybody's control at the moment?"
Bingo.
Ruka's astute reply was met by a reluctant nod of Valentine's chin and the inklings of a knowing smile. The redhead couldn't have put it any better.
"I suppose you do know what it's like then," he relented, his gaze gradually shifting as he drew a broad stroke across the rest of the hall with his vision. Everyone seemed so delighted, it was almost unbelievable that anyone else put enough thought into understanding the madness of their situation. Or perhaps, he had misunderstood all of them. Or maybe it was just he and Ruka who were weird, and the world of magic had merely accentuated that weirdness tenfold. But that was beside the point, and the pair were going on a tangent that Valentine was growing increasingly hesitant to discuss.
"Any idea who you're going to replace Zykeal with?" he changed the topic rather quickly. "It wouldn't make sense to break up any of the existing pairs, except maybe Galton."
He gave the thought a meaningful pause, not because he hadn't thought about it, but because he had, and he hoped that Ruka would be able to see it too with some time to contemplate.
"Galton Lansdale could do with a better pairing. . . I think he's one of the best Gryffindor's got, but he needs a partner who can stay on his or her feet longer than the first ten seconds."
"Or would you just say it's out of anybody's control at the moment?"
Bingo.
Ruka's astute reply was met by a reluctant nod of Valentine's chin and the inklings of a knowing smile. The redhead couldn't have put it any better.
"I suppose you do know what it's like then," he relented, his gaze gradually shifting as he drew a broad stroke across the rest of the hall with his vision. Everyone seemed so delighted, it was almost unbelievable that anyone else put enough thought into understanding the madness of their situation. Or perhaps, he had misunderstood all of them. Or maybe it was just he and Ruka who were weird, and the world of magic had merely accentuated that weirdness tenfold. But that was beside the point, and the pair were going on a tangent that Valentine was growing increasingly hesitant to discuss.
"Any idea who you're going to replace Zykeal with?" he changed the topic rather quickly. "It wouldn't make sense to break up any of the existing pairs, except maybe Galton."
He gave the thought a meaningful pause, not because he hadn't thought about it, but because he had, and he hoped that Ruka would be able to see it too with some time to contemplate.
"Galton Lansdale could do with a better pairing. . . I think he's one of the best Gryffindor's got, but he needs a partner who can stay on his or her feet longer than the first ten seconds."
Discord: Valentine#6117