Trial by Fear Main Story Event

A whole lot of things happened at once as spells flew, charms were cast, torches were extinguished as the brunette watched everything fall together like a well-instructed orchestra. Okay, perhaps not something was as well thought out as Elena had foreseen seen it watching with some slight dis-taste as some on their own side suffered some loses as well, her features registering slight annoyance at the fact. Well, it was bound to happen, the brunette supposed to herself as the friendly competetion of who could put out the others' torch first came to an end and much to the Gryffindor's chagrin, they were not on the winning end of this little trial. She didn't even want to know what that red content was ithat had erupted when the pressure plate had been pressed, probably better not to think about it in all honesty deciding to take note of the little victories making her total token count a grand total of two.

Heeding instructions, the girl turned to accept a towel from one of the two volunteers that approached though she did so warily casting them a glance. Something was off about them as she patted herself down, maybe it was the fang-like teeth or something else, whatever it was, the brunette made haste to dry herself before handing it back deciding not to linger too long as the sense of unease settled in her stomach. "Charming." Elena muttered to herself as the instructional voice rang out again over the pitch but she still would cast uneasy looks at the pair, there was something that was raising red flags but the Gryffindor could not quite place it, the thought bothering her. They certainly could have pulled off a dementor look if it was Halloween which it wasn't and it certainly wasn't very humrous looking she decided to settle for a spot where she could keep the two individuals in her sight if possible. The last thing she needed was them looming out of the darkness and giving her a fright or something, a thing that she thought was very possible given her tendency to be jumpy at times.

Maybe she was just being unfair, after all, they seemed like they were helping out though to be fair, Elena didn't exactly have the most sympathy for anyone who had thought it a good idea to drench them in Merlin knew whether it was blood or something else. Surely, they wouldn't go that extreme, would they? She had to keep repeating that over and over in her head to remind her she was at Hogwarts and as long as she kept her wits about her, everything would be alright and there was no force on this earth that could tell her otherwise. The only exception to that rule was maybe Flutters but he wasn't here right now. The first portion was done, that had been pretty intense for her so she was curious to what else they would be put through.

Katrina’s team took a rather straightforward approach to the next trial. Blow out those candles. At the toll of the bell, her team erupted with various fire-dousing spells, Katrina casting along with her teammates. She didn’t particularly have a target in mind besides ‘the other team’, and hopefully not Henry or Pierre who she knew enough to care about limiting their chances at winning. The unlucky target of Katrina’s spell was Scarlett, whom Katrina recognized by the shock of red hair much like her own, it was the wind spell, and Scarlett’s torch was quickly extinguished. Katrina’s own torch stayed, thankfully, lit and Katrina was proud to notice that her team had done relatively well.

The something of a duel between the two teams was somewhat paused when a geyser of a thick red substance erupted from the ground. Katrina got splattered with the liquid and froze for a moment in shock. That couldn’t actually be… there’s no way a school would… was it?? Katrina dared not think about what it might be. The thought was horrifying. What little fun competition Katrina had with the dousing of the torches was suddenly sucked from her. What was left behind was a large amount of suspicion.

The Caretaker didn’t seem phased by the large blast of what looked like bodily fluids and ceased the storm that had brewed over their team, whipping Katrina’s hair into a large knot that would be a pain to detangle later. He quickly amplified his voice, making a joke about a ‘bloodbath’ at his word Katrina swallowed hard, biting back a gag. It wasn’t-- It couldn’t—NOT thinking about it. They were congratulated for winning but Katrina didn’t feel a surge of pride like she previously had.

If it was really… blood. First of all, how did the school get it? How was it even remotely sanitary? Who condoned it? Isn’t it considered bloodbaiting if it indeed was blood? Werewolves and part vampires would definitely be affected by it, wouldn’t they? That wasn’t safe in the slightest. Katrina’s mind whirled with suspicious and doubts and dull fears.

Katrina was approached by one of the volunteers and accepted the towel, giving a weird look at him. There was something, off between the two volunteers. Something about their appearance that made Katrina on edge. She mindlessly dabbed at the red liquid on her while watching the duo, puzzlement in her eyes. That’s when it clicked, they weren’t human. She took a look at the boy, the Hufflepuff, he had red eyes. He wasn’t human. It wasn’t all that uncommon to meet non-human students but there was something off about this. And it was deeply troubling Katrina. Then she recognized the girl, it was Nico! They had met at one of the errands last summer, she was nice. She didn’t seem as out of place than the boy, Howard-- if she recalled his name correctly—seemed very out of place. Katrina still didn’t like it.

Katrina received her token from the trial, slipping it in her torch rather unceremoniously. Now at three tokens, nice. She was ahead of most of the participants, but Katrina was suddenly a bit wary, did she really want to be ahead? What if the top participants got entered into another event or something? Did she really want that? Katrina shook herself out of that suspicion though, she had no doubt the organizers of this event had a way to loose all the tokens, that was typical, wasn’t it? Give a few students an advantage so the rest turn against them?

Katrina continued wiping off the hopefully-not-blood and looked back to Henry as he approached her and Rose, inquiring if they were alright. Katrina idly nodded, clearly not all the way there. Katrina turned to Henry, “Are you?” There was something off about him as well, a part of him on edge, or nervous—more than usual, “Are you alright, that is,”

Katrina returned to her musings and suddenly felt sort of weak and unsteady. To hide it, she took a seat on the grass, sitting on the towel, looking at everything going on. It was just so wrong. All of it. She crossed her arms, squeezing her slightly queasy stomach. What now?

TLDR; Overthink, get a towel, ask Henry if he's alright, sit down because she's queazy for reference, it's just because of the red stuff

For Moderation:

Reducio

Action: Sit down for a moment and look around

Inventory: Wand, Three tokens

Abilities: Perfectionist [Crit-Fail Zone reduced by 1] | Healing Sage [+25% on all magical healing] | Charmer [-1 acc for all opponents]

Stats: Stamina 9 | Evasion 8 | Strength 3 | Wisdom 11 | Arcane Power 9 | Accuracy 6

Interacting With: @Scarlett Aden, @Rose Moon, @Henry Knight

Mentioning: All The Other Contestants
@Dealla Prince, @Scarlett Aden, @Rose Moon, @Elena Jangleton, @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Henry Knight, @Alexander Varellion, @Alan Vanes, @Xailah Alptraum, @Nicholas McCowan, @Piérre Marchonné, Nico and Howard

Open to Interactions: Please do!

Rose leveled her wand at the other team, picking a target- her fellow Gryffindor, Elena. She looked over to the rest of her team and nodded at them. The bell sounded, and chaos erupted between the twelve. "Extinguo," Rose murmured. She had taken to a simple spell on purpose, because of her extremely low expectations of herself. She doubted that she could even do much more than just a simple extinguishing charm, her skill level being where it was. She put herself in very low standards, because of her failed duels and her horrible self esteem.

But it turned out her expectations were wrong. Oh, so, wrong. She wasn't at all capable of an Extinguishing Charm. She was so absolutely horrible at spellcasting, she felt the spell backfire into her own face. She had extinguished her own torch. This was one of the many times Rose felt like digging down into the Earth below her, curling up in a den, and never coming out to see people ever again. She was humiliated in herself. Everyone was counting on her, and she had just... backfired her own spell? She was ridiculous. She was a weak little second year that knew nothing and was worthless.

Rose had tried to stay in the same spot as to not step on the mysterious pressure plate, but three others did- the pale girl, Pierre, and the Gryffindor Fourth Year that Rose recognized as a prefect and her co-captain for dueling- his name was Alan, she was pretty sure. And out of the ground spurted- blood! She had also been sprayed lightly by the liquid. Rose almost leapt to their sides, wondering if they were hurt, but then her logic kicked in. That much blood wouldn't come from three people, even if they were dying. Rose really doubted they were dying, because that would mean that they had been murdered by the staff, and that simply wasn't possible. If it was blood, it didn't belong to the three who had stepped on the pressure plate. But who else would it belong to? Rose squinted at the dark red liquid. It was quite possible that it wasn't blood. Maybe it was just meant to be blood, to give them a harmless scare. Right?

While the redhead was never one to be queasy about blood or injuries, there was something that twisted Rose's stomach when she saw the red liquid. She wasn't scared of blood- growing up in a big family with a Healer as a mother, physical injuries were no big deal. Scrapes and scratches and bruises were powered through as kids, and her family upbringing had been unsensitized Rose from blood, which she was grateful for. But the mystery around the red liquid made Rose suspicious. What was it? And, if it was blood, where had it come from?

It smelled like blood. Merlin's beard, it smelled metallic.

Just like that, it ended. The caretaker's voice called attention to him, and Rose made a very large effort to slow her thoughts and listen. A shiver ran down her back at the word "bloodbath," causing all her thoughts to jump back into her mind, requiring to be pushed away before she could pay attention again. The audience cheered again once they were invited, and Rose remembered the crowd once more. In her focus, she had almost forgot they were there. She felt like shrinking away. She caught sight of her siblings again. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they were definitely trying to encourage her. She dug her nails into her palms to stop her hands from shaking.

Rose stepped forward, toward Thomas, and took the token with an instinctual, "Thank you." It didn't feel right that her team had won. She felt like she didn't deserve the token. She hadn't done anything! She had actually only hurt her team, lessening their chances of winning.

She spied the two figures, and felt a little bit on edge now. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt a little bit wrong. They felt off, and there was a little sound with every step they took. Rose was lost to either of their names. They were pale, and carrying towels for them. Rose would accept the towel that was offered to her and join Henry and Katrina.

Henry asked if they were okay, and Katrina confirmed it with a nod that didn't seem entirely genuine, and Rose nodded as well, rubbing any places she was wet, and then throwing her lightly used towel at Henry's chest. He had not accepted his own towel, she noticed. "I promise you, it's not cursed or anything," she said quietly, with a hint of sarcasm and a small smile. She still didn't entirely trust herself to speak, and her throat felt like she would just choke on any of the words she tried to let out. But at least she had been able to use her voice. Katrina sat down, and Rose had a feeling that she was not okay, though there was no way to prove that. Rose realized that Henry was the only one with no tokens, if her memory was correct. She felt bad for him, but there wasn't anything she could really do. "You've got plenty of time to catch up," she reassured him.

The Second Year scanned the space, and then went over to Scarlett, determined to make sure she was alright, too. Whether Scarlett joined up with them first, or Rose had to go over to her, she would come next to her and forced words out, saying only loud enough for Scarlett to hear, "You did brilliantly. Just bad luck your team lost. I guess we're tied now, with tokens, though." She gave a smile to the girl. "You good?"

She would put both tokens that she had earned in her back pocket, and put her torch back where she had gotten it from.

What next?

For Moderation-

Action: Backfiring spell, looking around, standing by Scarlett Aden

Abilities: Keen Eye | Lovely Creature Inventory: Wand, 2 tokens

Stats: Stamina- 6 Evasion- 8 Strength- 5 Wisdom- 9 ArcPower- 7 Accuracy- 5

Team one- Xailahs team- would prove themselves to be the successors of the second trial. The straightforward approach from some of her teammates, shone through as the most effective, when on the offense. Xailah had opted to go for a less direct route, one that resulted in a failed cast, but not a complete failure overall. She had sought Piérre as her target. Fellow Gryffindor, skilled Quidditch player, and an occasional annoyance. She knew he was quite nimble; making him the most challenging opponent on the opposing team. If there was one to rid of fast, he was it. Her allies fired off spells, she too made an attempt. Her dark length of chestnut thrust forward, swishing in the formation of the Metelojinx charm. Nothing more than a sputtering of light fizzled from the tip of wood. Usually, this was when disappointment made itself apparent. Her lips curled into the start of a sneer, but found themselves quickly spreading into a pleased grin. Her spell didn't work- so why smile?

She was smiling, because Piérre's nimbleness just might have been his undoing. The boy moved- triggered something- a spray of lovely red was sent into the sky, coating the young lion and his torch in liquid crimson. Just like that, his flame was effectively extinguished. It was a triumph in Xailahs book. Even if she had no hand in it. The trial came to an end quickly, and rather messily. Somewhere along the line someone had cast Fumos, which crept onto Team Ones side of the playfield, obscuring their vision. There was rain too- who summoned it, Xailah did not know- but it was wrong. The rainwater swept up some of the red liquid from the geysers; sprinkling the diluted substance onto each player. When the rain slowed, and the fog cleared, Team One was revealed to be victorious.

The scent of wet copper filled the dampened air. Xailah hadn't paid much mind to it until after she congratulated her temporary allies, and followed them to collect a token. They stink of metal, she thought, as she slunk behind one. I stink of metal. She wiped the edge of her hand against her upper lip. The fabric on her gloves, prickled across the porcelain surface. Her skin was sticky. Like many others, the lioness assumed that the substance was blood. Looked like blood. Smelt like it too. Behaved in the same way blood did, when drying. Must have been blood. But why? What was the purpose of dousing the participants in sticky sanguine? Had the young pureblood seen (or read) Carrie, she would have thought it was attempted humiliation. Alas her knowledge in pop culture was little, thus, she was only confused.

The confusion seemed to dissipate once two figures emerged from the folds of a tent. They carried towels with them. Both of the volunteers radiated something... odd- it was a feeling that Xailah sought sanctuary in, whenever it was present. She understood what the students were before they revealed their faces. Dhampirs. Surely this... wasn't the trial of fear? The half-vampires of the school were some of the nicest people Xailah had ever met. Some of the most misunderstood too, especially after the headliner incident. Often times, the non-humans proved themselves to be far more human, than those that were fully human. The cub had no reason to be afraid of the ghoulish pair that stood before her. Even if she was spattered with their main source of sustenance. But that wasn't to say that she didn't she find their... presence, distracting. Her hair writhed slightly, proof that their aura did have an effect on her being. The Gryffindor looked between the two faces; watched the way the shadows scuttled across their skin, as their facial muscles flexed. Slotted pupils fell onto those of a luminescent red, embedded in a sea of icy blue. Xailahs eyes crinkled warmly at their outermost corners. She put out a hand, accepting the towel the female dhampir had to offer. "Thank you, Miss Shymane."

Interacting with: @Howard White & @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
Mentions: @Dealla Prince, @Thomas Lestrange & @Nico Shymane

One moment everything was still, there was a countdown and both teams readied themselves for battle. Each group looking intensely at another, then in an instant the quidditch pitch turned into a battlefield. It all happened so quickly that Alexander barely had time to process it all. He could only see his own spell heading towards Dealle Prince and hitting her. Then immediately after that, his vision was blocked by a familiar fog spell. Whilst great gusts of wind scattered across the field. Then, in what felt like it must have been only a second but was (somewhat) longer it was all over. The battlefield was silent and all the 'casualties' were counted.

Only now that the battle was over did Alexander notice the fact that his own torch was extinguished. He looked around quickly, trying to get a good understanding of how many torches had been extinguished on each side.

In first instance it seemed that the numbers were almost identical, then as fear gripped his heart Lestrange spoke up once more. Speaking about a 'bloodbath', but what truly made his heart soar was the news that team one had achieved victory. His eyes immediately searched for Aida's so that they could celebrate together.

Yet when he finally saw her he took a small shocked step backwards. She was just covered in a dark crimson, sticky liquid. Dear Merlin, what were the event organizers thinking ? Because what he saw at least looked like blood.

Whilst he did not mind gore, as it was just a natural extension of life, he was surprised that the event organizers had decided to use it. Especially since a lot of the participants were still quite young and more squeezy with blood. But then this was a trial to test one's readiness against hags. If one was scared of a little bit of blood then one was not ready to face the greatest horrors of the school. Regardless, seeing Aida covered in blood was a weird image.

Then the situation grew odder as two non-participants appeared. One of them being one he recognized and had somewhat tacitly interacted with before, one Nico Shymane. She was one of the prefects of Slytherin, as well as a Dhapmir as he had seen during the fight club. Where she had acted with great bloodlust towards one Opeila Seilun. He had referenced that incident at the Slytherin table and gotten some considerable venom for it.

Then he glanced at the other figure. A dark cloaked Hufflepuff. Their skin was pale, their energy dark and crimson eyes shone out of the recesses of the hood to make contact with his. Whilst the figure said nothing, their aura seemed dark. As if daring people to come closer.

Curious, how curious. Two Dhampirs on the quidditch field, one dark and mysterious and the other familiar and 'friendly.'

This combined with the fact that Lestrange had asked all participants ' to approach our...volunteers' made the situation quite interesting. Perhaps this was all a part of the next trial ? One of wit rather than physical and magical prowess?

So what did he know?:
- Two 'volunteers had arrived' with towels
- One of these was Nico Shymane.
- Nico Shymane is a Dhampir
- Nico Shymane is a Slytherin Prefect
- Nico Shymane has a feud with Opeila Seilun
- The other volunteer was a dark cloaked figure from house Hufflepuf.
- The other figure was also probably a dhampir. What with the red eyes and pale skin.
- A number of participants had been covered in (possibly) blood

- The event organizers had given a (possible) task to get towels.

As all these facts went through Alex's mind he tried to form a solid conclusion with them. The most obvious one was that these were both Dhampirs and that this blood had something to do with them. Perhaps it was a part of a trial of their own ? Maybe they were supposed to fight the Dhampirs ?

Their task was anything but certain. But he gathered that as the event organizers had asked them to approach, that might be the best tactic to get another token.

So with his intense (and often suicidal) curiosity Alexander went towards the cloaked figure. One could go towards Nico, the 'approachable' one, but if this truly was a trial then he had to head to the darker figure. The easy answer was rarely the right one.

Thus, pushing through the dark atmosphere, Alexander headed towards the ominous Hufflepuf. As he walked closer Alex began to feel goosebumps spreading over his arms. A shiver that ran from the tops of his arms to his spine. Regardless of the sensation, he pressed through towards the dark figure.

When he was near to the Dhampir, they removed their hood. Revealing a dark-haired Hufflepuff with fangs out. Though they now seemed to retract themselves. And as the fangs retracted, so did the dark aura that surrounded the figure.

Though the young male Hufflepuff still had a mysterious Aura, this almost seemed more natural. For a moment Alexander studied the Hufflepuf's features, studied the face which was transitioning from that of a boy to a man. Features that seemed far more human when observed up close.

For a moment Alexander was struck by how similar in age he and the Dhampir must be. He and the other must have been in the same age group when they started Hogwarts. Had he met him before and forgotten ? Perhaps, but that might not matter too much right now.

Alexander's eyes once more made contact with the Dhampir's, this time on his behalf. For a long second he kept contact, then gave a nod of recognition and respect. He then took the cloth and headed back to his friend. Whilst approaching Aida he took a moment to quickly observe the cloth, checking if nothing was off about the scent. He then wiped some of his sweat with the towel and stood next to his Albino friend.

Now standing next to his comrade Alexander relaxed a little, muttering. "Now that was something."

Actions:
Taking a towel from Howard

Abilities:
Evasive Maneuvers
Monster Hunter (non-human enthusiast)

Stats:
Stamina: 7
Evasion: 9
Strength: 3
Wisdom: 8
Arc Power: 6
Accuracy: 8
Total: 41

Inventory:
-Locksmith's knife
-Small book/journal kept in robes. Hidden in inner pocket of robes.
-Roll of wizard tight. Hidden in other inner pocket
- Cherry Wood wand

@Nico Shymane

Everything crumbles to pieces within a matter of seconds. One moment everything had been fine and the next everything had been exactly NOT fine. The boy's flighty nature had preserved him from most of the chaos, but it had been when there was the slightest click underfoot that the lad knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

Warm, hot liquid slapped across the lad's face, drenching him to the bone. He had lifted his chin just in rime to avoid receiving a mouthful of it, but everywhere from his throat down, and a clotty mess in his hair, had gotten it. The iron tang, something so familiar to the boy from year and years came flooding back, unwanted thoughts and invasive memories managing to slip through the carefully concocted dam which separated reality from fantasy... Stability Roll (d12): -5. Negative Sanity Shift, -1 level

The world flickered for a moment, and for a brief second the boy thought he was going to pass out, but the iron scent brought him back, his eyes wide, teeth gritted, and his entire body paralyzed as if by ceasing his movements the wet liquid would vanish. His upper body, specifically his arms, we're shaking as the crimson dripped from him slowly.

Breathe. Breathe. The torch is extinguished, but breathe.

His team had lost, but Piérre didn't care. He wanted this stuff off of him.

So, when the two figures were presented, the Britalian didn't think twice. Shaken though he was, he was determined to finish this event proving to everyone else that he was a strong, able, and above all, resourceful student who could stand his own or work with others.

He wanted to prove something.

His heartbeat echoed in his ears as he drew close to the feminine figure that @Xailah Alptraum had ventured to. Piérre trusted his upperclassmen prefect strongly. She had a good head on her shoulders, just like him. They acted in different ways, but seemed to align in their curiosity and ability to judge a situation. He wouldn't notice until he drew closer that this student had slightly red eyes, pale skin, or any signifying traits of the dhampir folk which the boy knew existed in the school, but he didn't mind.

They had to learn to trust one another, and the dhampirs, just like any other student, had to learn control. This was just as likely a test for them as it was for the participants of the trial. Far be it from Piérre to draw the line between fellows based on nature alone. There was good intention here, offering a towel to a student.

Piérre was thankful, even if he looked especially on edge for the moment.

“T-t-thank y-you.”
He stammered out at last, his legs still locked uncomfortably and one hand extended for the gracious offer of a towel. Even if he was going to get bit, he was offering a hand. He would help, himself or the dhampir. He was naïf, he was but a dreamer, but he was also ready to accept whatever happened next.

He had nothing to lose. He had everything to gain.

Stats: Stamina 3 | Strength 3 | Evasion 10 | Wisdom 10 | Accuracy 10 | ArcPower 5
Abilities:
Keen Eye | 25% chance to spot something
Calming Presence | Affecting Student Participants
Inventory:
Yew Wand | 4 Knuts | Some (3) small glass phials* (school supply) | Quick Wit

*One is filled with water

Emotional Status & Persona: Shaken (84%) | Embodying the Wonka
Action: Willingly take a towel from Nico

outfit
speech #bf0040
action talking with rose
abilities prodigal charms leaner, fearless
stats stamina 7 | evasion 6 | accuracy 8 | strength 6 | wisdom 6 | arcane power 9

@Henry Knight @Rose Moon @Katrina Walker @Nico Shymane

[font=times new roman]T[/font]heir plan was meant to be perfect. Well, meant was the key word. After the bell tolled and the game started, it rather fell to pieces, in Scarlett's eyes. Their strategy was a creative one that was slightly harder to pull off, but with hopefully beneficial results. Right off the bat, Katrina lunged forward to extinguish Scarlett's torch, succeeding as Scarlett's dodge was too late. She gritted her teeth. She needed to be quicker - her torch was gone already. To be honest, there was no need for the torch now, and she knew how many tokens she had, so she dumped the torch on the floor. It would only hinder her.

Though Scarlett's own torch was extinguished, they still had hope, if Scarlett could cast the spell she needed to. She pointed her wand at the sky and shouted, "Pluvia Velo!" It was a relatively easy spell she had picked up months ago, when Lucia, Decipio, Syl and her had tried to make a fire in the freezing winter. Sure enough, an invisible umbrella sprang up, protecting herself, Alan and Elena from the storm Alan, Dealla and Elena were meant to summon.

A few torches sizzled out, but from what Scarlett could see, they had lost. She gingerly picked up her torch from the ground, breaking her concentration, the spell fading away.

And then it happened.

Piérre, Alan and the albino girl stepped on the pressure plate, which promptly burst out a dark-red substance. Was that - was it - blood? Scarlett felt faintly sick and staggered away, but not before a few droplets could get onto her skin. Her breathing became frantic and laboured as she inspected her arm, small dots of - blood? ketchup? - splattered on it. Ketchup wasn't warm like this...was it? She didn't dare to sniff it, or lick it, as Dealla was doing (what in Merlin?).

Instead, she followed what the caretaker was saying, walking over to the two people with towels. They both seemed pale, with sharp teeth. This unnerved Scarlett even more, but she steeled herself and took a few quick breaths. It was probably just ketchup, and it would all be wiped off and there would be nothing like this again and there was absolutely nothing wrong or suspicious about anything-

"Yes please," said Scarlett, in response to the girl's offer of a towel. She took one, wiping the blood - no, ketchup - off her skin. She nodded gratefully at the girl. "Thanks."

Then, depositing her torch in one of the holders at the tent side, she went back to the main area, scanning it for her friends. Henry was over with Katrina and Rose again and Scarlett rolled her eyes. Fine, if he was going to give her the cold shoulder, she would as well. She was about to march over to Pierre or Elena or Dealla or someone she was briefly acquainted with at least, when Rose's voice carried over to her. She spun to find her redheaded friend beside her.

With a smile, Scarlett greeted Rose with a wave. "Thanks," she said, with a grin. "We are, aren't we? You playing to win, or just for fun? I think you gave it your all and that's what matters." Oh Merlin, she was spewing positive affirmations now. Was that what friends did to people?

Action: none in particular

The fourth year was just a little disappointed that their plan hadn't worked out and it wasn't because it was a bad plan even, it just seemed like the universe wasn't on their side this time. But what he didn't expect was his flag to extinguish in the way it did, it just had to be his luck to step on that suspicious pressure plate and he couldn't help the confusion he at first felt, before it quickly turned into a mixture of disgust and shock as the metallic smell hit him. The liquid was thick and red and some of it had splashed onto his face, so he could involuntarily taste it on his lips and he was very sure it must have been blood. The disgust nearly made him shudder and oddly enough he felt as if something like this happened before, even though he couldn't recollect a single time he had been covered with blood. Had he forgotten something? But that was impossible, Alan shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he focused on the now and then.

He would catch a glance of two figures approaching and eventually recognized one of them as Howard. At first the Gryffindor was happy to see the boy, but then he remembered their circumstances and it made him a little mad at the organizer of this event. This was basically blood baiting, wasn't it? How could someone think its a great idea to tempt a dhampir like this? Alan had no doubts that Howard had himself under control, but looking at him, he seemed tense at first and Alan was a bit worried; not for his own sake but for Howard. Howard at first also seemed gloomy, but Alan knew that this is just how the boy seemed sometimes, but when he caught a glance of Alan, @Howard White would wink at him, lightening the mood a bit as he cut through the tension and handed a towel to Alan.

"A towel? How is that gonna help?" he muttered under his breath, for perhaps only the dhampir to hear as he tried to wipe off some of the blood. So disgusting. Alan was getting nowhere in the attempt to clean himself off properly. "Couldn't you have just cast a cleaning spell?" the Gryffindor asked as he looked down on himself. The stains on his clothes were impossible to remove with a towel and so were the bits of blood that had already dried against his skin and, even using the towel in an attempt to get this stuff out of his hair, the dried leftovers would cause his hair to crust together in little strands. Alan just had to agree with Dee on this, this just seemed so stupid.

Alexander Varellion had tried to sniff the towel, but it smelled just as ordinary and clean as any other towel - except, perhaps, for a faint scent of soap. When Dealla Prince attempted to taste and smell the substance, it smelled and tasted just as blood would with its warm temperature and metallic aftertaste. Scarlett Aden and Henry Knight both tried to take a look around for anything else to observe, but nothing else seemed amiss other than the red liquid everywhere. It was starting to dry...and it was starting to get sticky.

Once all the participants had each been offered a towel by one of the volunteers, whether they accepted or not, @Howard White and @Nico Shymane eventually returned to the entrance of the tent from which they had come. There, Kit waited, pulling aside the tent flaps so Howard and Nico could enter. Before he followed in after them, however, there were a few students who seemed to have complaints among the participants and Kit meant to address said complaints, the volume of his voice still unnaturally loud due to the Amplifying Charm still cast upon it.

Dealla had asked aloud if they, the organizers of the event, were serious, offering towels to wipe off the liquid crimson mess. She asked them if they didn't think that was a little sick. Alan Vanes, similarly, was questioning how a towel was going to help, wondering why they couldn't just have cast a cleaning spell instead.

Kit put his palms up, waiting for the participants to have finished voicing their opinions before responding, still wearing his usual Cheshire cat grin. "As it so happens, those towels are imbued with special cleaning spells particular to the substance they were meant to remove. Otherwise, like you so astutely pointed out, they would be of little use to you. I would have hoped you could trust us enough to realize we might have foreseen that detail and known better than to provide you with mere ordinary towels."

He bowed then. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to discuss with my fellow event coordinator and our volunteers." Casting the counter-spell to cancel his Amplifying Charm, Kit waved Thomas over to enter the tent that Nico and Howard had entered before following close behind. They spoke for several minutes, leaving the participants to clean up as best they could with or without their towels on the field.

When the event organizers and volunteers finally reemerged from the tent, Kit re-cast the charm to raise the volume of his voice once more before stepping up onto the stage in order to address not only the participants, but the audience as well. His tone was serious and somber without a trace of his usual grin.

"Many of you are already aware of the incident regarding dhampir discrimination in the dining hall earlier this year as well as the newspaper articles preceding and succeeding the event in the Hogwarts Headliner." He gazed around from student to student, face to face, both in the stands and on the field as he spoke. "It was with this incident and the outrage and fear it incited in mind that the second trial was created."




Kit then gestured to Howard and Nico to take the stage beside him. "I would like to now introduce our volunteers, Howard White and Nico Shymane, to you all. Many of you already know them as your fellow students. They are also but two of the resident dhampir here at Hogwarts and two brave individuals who participated in this activity. They did so in order to help us raise awareness of discrimination against dhampir and other partially non-human beings attending school with the rest of you."

The caretaker then swept an arm toward the drenched field and students. "The red substance sprayed and rained down upon the participants on the field are melted blood-flavored lollipops. Our volunteers were aware of this beforehand as this was meant to be a test for the participants, not for them. What were we testing, you ask?" His grin grew again. "Why, your capacity to trust your fellow students and their ability to control themselves as dhampirs, of course."

Extending his arms back to each of the students beside him, Kit continued, "By being our volunteers, our fine students Howard and Nico agreed to be the judges for the second, more secretive trial which could not be tested with your knowledge of the event." Some, such as Alexander and Piérre, had been clever enough to guess that something had been up, but it had been important that the trial hadn't been announced in order to properly determine everyone's candid reactions.

"After much discussion and thought, our volunteers have informed me of their decisions. Thanks to our gracious judges, who took into account many factors as they passed out the towels just now and later when we conferred in the tent, we have learned the winners of the tokens for the second trial." The caretaker then took out a scroll of parchment and unraveled it to read off the list of names written upon it, gesturing toward Thomas with his free hand. Thomas carried with him several bright green, translucent figures that almost seem to glow in the dim torchlight.



"Would the participants whose names I list off please step forward to receive their prize tokens from Mr. Lestrange?" he requested, stepping aside to allow better access to the Slytherin boy. "Scarlett Aden, Xailah Alptraum, Piérre Marchonné, Rose Moon, Alan Vanes, and Alexander Varellion, please come up and congratulations to you all. I know there were much fewer winners this time than for the last trial, but there is still the final trial ahead with its own tokens to win!"

The caretaker gestured to the last tent; the purpose of which was not yet known. "Now, if all of the participants would please line up at the entrance to this tent, we will soon proceed with our third and last trial for the evening!"

Moderation Notes:
- This is the end of Trial By Fang, the second of three trials.
- For the next round, please line up single-file in front of the final tent.
- My sincerest apologies for the duration of this round’s moderation and thank you for remaining patient.
- Special thanks to Howard White and Nico Shymane for use of their characters.
- Please have your next posts in by Saturday, July 24th at 1200 CST.
- Please direct any questions or concerns you may have in the event to Thomas Lestrange or Kit Paine.

Interacting with | @Kit Paine | @Alan Vanes | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
Mentions | @Piérre Marchonné

Mr Paine's flippant explanation about the towels received a fierce glare in return. Fantastic how he had wriggled himself out of it without addressing the actual issue: That dousing children in something that, for all they could see, smell, feel, even taste was blood, was twisted and sick. A magical cleaning towel, especially for the three that had gotten the worst of it, didn't fix the problem at all.

True, many Hogwarts students had likely seen and experienced worse at this point. Yet it was one thing to be attacked and traumatised by monsters or hags lurking in the forest, and a very different thing to be subjected to the same by their peers and those supposedly tasked with protecting them. She'd thought the event had been meant to prepare them for the dangers out there, but this just seemed to serve as tasteless entertainment for those who had come up with it.

With those responsible hidden behind the tent flaps, Dee's expression darkened further, and she turned around, wiping at her hands and face with the towel. She didn't bother with her clothes and hair - despite what the caretaker had said, she doubted wiping over it with a towel would remove the substance that had trickled down to her scalp between her hair and was now starting to dry there. She'd just wash it later.

"Here," she said, holding out her still mostly clean towel to Alan, anger still bubbling close to the surface. "I think you need it more than me." A small pause, her eyes running over the boy drenched in red, then wandering to Aida who had reacted to the situation with laughter rather than disgust, before she continued with more sincere concern in her voice, addressing both of them equally. "Are you okay? I don't know what they were thinking - if they were thinking." She shook her head, disgust plain in the set of her mouth, the crease between her eyebrows. "This is sick."


It only took a few minutes for the tent flaps to open again, the ones inside returning, the caretaker stepping up to deliver an explanation. An unsatisfying, flimsy explanation, trying to squeeze the situation into a narrative that it didn't really fit.

Not receiving the token stung, certainly, a remnant of her competitive spirit, but not as much as it would have before, the competition overshadowed by the details of the situation. Speaking out against the organisers meant she was discriminating against Dhampir students? Fine. Honestly, she wondered at the level of paranoia going on at this school. This whole event was a joke. She'd attended anticipating a competition, maybe even a chance to learn something. The only thing she'd learned here was that the castle staff was not to be trusted. "Is the fact that it only felt, smelt, and looked like blood supposed to make it any better?" she asked out loud, contemptuous. "I don't think this trial showed anything, except that you maybe watched too many horror movies and have lost perspective for reality. Did anyone scream and run? Or even so much as take a step back or point a finger at the Dhampires? You think this will inspire unity in this school? What were you trying to prove?" She shook her head. "This is sick, and I'm done."

Reaching for the two tokens she had pocketed earlier, Dee hesitated for a moment, then pulled them out. They had been told not to lose them, so she supposed their physical presence must have some meaning. Turning around, she offered one of them to Aida, the other to Alan. They deserved some compensation, since apparently they would not receive an apology from those in charge. If she'd had a third one, she would have given it to Piérre, but her resources were limited. [If Aida or Alan don't want theirs, she will offer it first to Piérre, and then to any other competitor nearby. First come, first serve.] If possession counted, it would give them a leg up. If not, it was at least a symbolic gesture. Here, dear organisers, some unity. Be proud.

A last, disgusted sneer at the caretaker, then Dee stalked off the pitch, back straight and chin raised.

Action
Handing off her tokens and leaving