Fists Are Preferred Over Words pv Pride Closed

Interacting with: @Zoë Fresnel and @Jack Warren

There was nothing that gave Eliseo’s mind more clarity than escaping into the embrace of the woods. The usual chaotic and racing flood of thoughts faded away and allowed the man to just enjoy the simplicity of the moment. But it was Zoë’s energy, her loving smiles, and glances that brought a new perfection to the moment. Their casual walk into the forest took on a new life where he could happily lose himself in the ethereal gaze of the woman. It seemed rare that he allowed himself to just relax and enjoy his limited time with Zoë so he wasn’t going to miss the chance.

Eliseo intently watched the woman she released his hand to just take in the tranquility around them. A small smile pressed against the corner of his mouth. She remained a constant reminder that he had made the right choice in coming to work at the school. As much as he enjoyed the students and being able to tend to the beautiful grounds, it was Zoë’s radiance that gave him a renewed purpose. He softly laughed at her suggestion of them remaining in the woods for the summer. It seemed like a beautiful proposition and would have reminded him of the many years in his youth that he did just that. But...that was not Zoë. As much as they enjoyed their little walks, he knew that after about six hours in the forest the woman would be dying to return to the comforts of the world.

“I would love nothing more. Unfortunately, you just aren’t gifted with stealth. The students would hear you crunching through leaves and babbling from across the castle,” Eliseo playfully teased. “But I can find us a nice cave if you really want.” The Groundskeeper could die a happy man if he ever got to witness the prim and proper Zoë sleeping in some dank forest cave. “You are breathtakingly beautiful, mi amor,” Eliseo said softly as his eyes worked to memorize the woman’s enchanting smile. Smiling at the woman, Eliseo’s ears suddenly perked up. The smile was instantly replaced with a stern and focused gaze in the direction of the sudden noise. The blood curdling scream made Eliseo grit his teeth and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck instinctively raise.

Without a second thought, Eliseo began running in the direction of the noise. He didn’t need to utter a word to Zoë who was quickly running beside him. Students at Hogwarts seemed to have a tendency to get into trouble. So, of course, the one day that he got to go on a small date with Zoë would be interrupted by some dire situation. He would have been irritated if not for the pure horror of the scream. As cold and impassive as Eliseo could be, at times, he did deeply care for the young students of the school. So such a noise of fear and pain shook the man to his core and he drew his wand as they ran.

As he followed Zoë and they began to near the sound of the continued shouts, Eliseo tried to creep through his mind for any recollection of the young voice. But to no avail. He did, however, recognize the blood soaked boy who appeared to be starting to run. Before Eliseo could call out to the boy, Zoë was already on it and hurled a command for him to stay put. The blood that coated the boy’s face and clothing was beyond disconcerting. Worry only continued to build in the back of Eliseo’s mind as he hoped no one was gravely injured.

“Aye, I’m on it,” Eliseo agreed as Zoë yelled for him to go check on Jack. He could see another two students nearby and one of them didn’t appear to be moving. His jaw instinctively clenched as he told himself that everything would be fine. While skilled in his own rights, he believed Zoë would be better suited to handle any emergency medical attention the other student might need.

Slowing the run to a walk, Eliseo began to approach Jack. His eyes traveled appraisingly over the boy and his expression remained calm and calculating. The crimson mask the young boy had donned looked to mostly be splatter but he couldn’t be sure. A matching coat of blood and some other foul substance seemed to have worked itself across Jack’s clothing. As his eyes traveled down the boy, they halted on the blood covered hands and knuckles. Eliseo had been in enough fist fights in his school years to know the look. The splatter of misted blood and damaged hands seemed to clearly suggest the cause of the situation.

But, at the moment, Eliseo didn’t care. He did not know the extent of the other boy’s injuries and knew that Zoë would have it handled. As for punishments, Eliseo was sure someone would be severely punished for the situation but they needed to get everything under control first. At the moment, he just wanted to make sure that Jack was alright. “Is any of that yours?” Eliseo asked in a cold tone, gesturing to the blood covering the student. “Don’t give a shit what happened right now, jeffe. So don’t hide something to be tough or if you are afraid to get in trouble.” Glancing down again at the boy’s hands, for a moment, Eliseo then returned them to the boy’s face. “Any of them break?” Eliseo asked bluntly as he pointed to Jack’s knuckles with his wand.

Interacting with: @Jack Warren | @Mathias Pride | @Zoë Fresnel Mentioning: @Eliseo Céspedes

Date: August 14th, 2021 - 20:00 Outfit: Dress

Winnie's head felt dizzy, and it was difficult to control her own shaking hands. She had hurt her friend with a spell, but she had no choice. Jack would make his attempt to talk to her, to suggest that he was only trying to protect her, "How?! How was this protecting me?!" She shrieked back at the Hufflepuff. He could fix this? He had said the same thing last time, and then she had walked in on him using her boyfriend as his own personal punching bag. She used to see Jack’s strength admirable. She had felt safe with him, but now, splattered in Mathias’ blood, the boy was terrifying. How would she ever look at him the same way? It was with a forlorn sob the Ravenclaw added, "I-It’s you I need protecting f-from... You... You’re a monster, Jack Warren."

She needed to focus on Matt. She had limited medical knowledge, no healing spells were offered to those before their third year. She didn’t know CPR, except for the fictionalized version of it she had seen on television. Not that mattered; poor Matt’s face was practically bashed in. She forced herself to swallow a whimper. "Mattie... Please, oh Merlin..." Why wasn’t he breathing? He had vomited, so something was coming out. Had he... Choked on his own vomit? That was a thing, right? There was something you were supposed to do when someone passed out, something about turning them on their side, but you also weren’t supposed to move someone who was injured, right?

"P-Professor--..." She choked out when Zoë Fresnel appeared like an angel sent from the heaven itself. She had been so focused on the Slytherin she hadn’t heard the hurried footsteps or the professor’s interactions with the Hufflepuff. "He... He isn’t breathing..." Her voice trembled as she watched Mathias’ nose reform with help from the healing spell. It even seemed to make a small cracking sound that made the Ravenclaw wince as it was set in place. "No...! No no, it’s... I think he... I think he’s choking o-on his own vomit, o-or something... I... I can't help him, please! You have to do something!" Her voice was still frantic as she tried to explain to the professor. Never in her life had she felt so hopeless. All she could do was what she had already done; wail. Though, this time she had grabbed Mathias' hand and was squeezing it, as if that would somehow heal him. "Mattie..."

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]W[/font]hy did the boy hold such a strong urge to fix things when clearly all he could do was make it worse. In life, there are builders and destroyers. Sadly no matter how hard the boy attempted to repair was broken or created something new, the only thing he left in his wake was destruction. His face was evidence enough. The boy looked demented as he contemplated his actions. Emotions swirled behind his grey eyes. Was it hatred? Remorse? Guilt?... or was it worse? Satisfaction, maybe? The boy could feel his eyes starting to water as the ache of Winnie's actions finally caught back up to him. She looked at him like he was some creature to be feared. 'You're a monster, Jack Warren.' That's what she said; he wasn't a monster, was he? He wasn't one to inspire fear—the boy was charming! He is known for a devilish grin, not bruised knuckles, and a blood-spattered face. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop shaking, and now that the adrenaline was gone, Jack could only feel a cold vacuous space in the place that once held his heart, what the kid would give to have that adrenaline still running through his system. He would still be numb, there would be no thoughts, only action, but no, life was never that kind.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]H[/font]is legs felt like jelly as he ran towards the campsite proper, but he was off-kilter. That flipendo had sent his senses into a death spiral. Now without any gas in the tank had a hard time putting one foot in front of the other. His knees ached, and he couldn't even bear unfurling his fingers from fists without sending electric jolts of pain down his hand and forearms. Thankfully he was just on autopilot, and so when he heard the words 'STAY THERE! DO NOT MOVE' he listened to the firm command. His legs stopped as his gaze followed the running charms professor. Funnily enough, nothing profound was going through his head, just the thought of 'oh hey, at least I found help.' He would have laughed at the idea if he weren't so dead to the world. His inner turmoil was tearing the boy to shreds, but on the outside, the boy was quickly becoming more deadpan by the second. So why did it have to go this way? Why couldn't he be the hero of this story? Is he truly the bad guy in this situation? He was trying to help—

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]H[/font]is gaze was held, looking in the direction of his victim. It took several seconds before Jack would even tear his eyes away from Winnie and recognize Eliseo's presence. His question didn't register at first, but he would glance down his swollen knuckles. Were his knuckles bleeding? He couldn't tell. All there was a sticky coat of bloody red mist. "What? Oh- No... I'm not sure-" The boy's words were tired, more than upset, but there was still a small flame that sat anchored to the pit of his stomach. Winnie's statements may have curbed his rage, but it was hardly forgotten. Numbly, the soon-to-be-former prefect would raise his hands, which were still tightly clutched into fists so that the Grounds Keeper could see. "I don't know- it hurts though. Maybe—" Jack was in a pitiful state, and his words held barely any inflection.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]"H[/font]e deserved it, you know. I was only trying to protect her-" Jack Warren spoke the words quietly, as if to convince himself of the fact

Just having a blast with @Winnie Harper, @Eliseo Céspedes, @Zoë Fresnel, & With love @Mathias Pride

Interacting With:
@Mathias Pride and @Winnie Harper
Mentioning: @Jack Warren

After the audible snap of the nose, Zoë watched the blood continue to stream over the boy’s face. She waited for only a moment in the faint hope that there would be some semblance of life from the child. Some sign that he was at least semi-conscious. But nothing. Not even a slight involuntary wince at having the busted nose snapped back into place. It was just the same unmoving, lifeless and terrifying nothingness. While she kept her analytical face stoic, there was the slight flicker of panic behind the woman’s focused eyes. She would never yield to the doubt and fear or allow it to fester. But that didn’t mean she was immune to the flaring emotion. Her position, however, reminded her that she could not allow such things to cloud her mind and judgement while the life of a student was clearly in the balance.

As she tried to listen to the boy over Winnie’s whimpers, Zoë could hear a faint bubbling sound coming from the broken child. His lips even seemed to be shifting to a disquieting shade of purple. Her thoughts about the boy were briefly interrupted by Winnie’s continued tears and well-meaning concern. The girl had begun pleading that the boy was not breathing or that he was struggling to breathe. It could have been blood blocking the windpipe or perhaps some of the lingering vomit had flowed down the airway. Regardless, Zoë could clearly see that the girl’s concerns were valid. The battered child was fighting for air and losing the bout. There was no telling the extent of the damage that may have been inflicted on the boy’s throat but Zoë silently prayed that it was just blood or vomit that had formed a blockade of the windpipe.

Again, Zoë tried to tune out the cries of Winnie as she pointed her wand at Mathias’ throat. “Anapneo,” Zoë said with a clear conviction. She would never get to see what may have been blocking the child’s ability to breathe but she didn’t care. As long as she was able to keep the boy breathing, he would have a chance to recover. She hoped that the airway would remain clear but she believed it might be worth casting the spell periodically just to remain cautious. Wounds, even the broken bones, could be mended easily enough by the School Nurse once the boy was stabilized. So ensuring the boy’s continued breathing remained Zoë’s priority.

Zoë turned momentarily to Winnie, keeping her expression calm and comforting. “Winnie dear, I need you to stay breathing as well. I cannot have two students passing out on me. I promise everything will be okay,” Zoë said, lightly grabbing the girl’s shoulder before returning her attention to Mathias. She understood the girl’s panic and fear but no amount of tears would remedy the situation unless the girl was secretly a Phoenix but Zoë believed that would be far too convenient at such a time.

While continuing to slowly wipe blood away from Mathias’ battered face, she could see that there remained substantial damage but the extent remained unclear. To think that Jack had caused such damage with, presumably, his fists showed a level of savagery that Zoë had not believed the boy capable of. Sometimes she preferred when students didn’t surprise her with their capabilities. With blood still flowing from the boy, Zoë became concerned at the potential for too much blood loss. While not as immediately fatal as a lack of breathing. It could continue to fill the boy’s throat with blood if not remedied. Zoë began slowly tracing her wand over the multitude of gruesome lacerations on the boy's face before repeating the incantation ‘Vulnera Sanetur’ three times.

Each small bit of aid might add a minimal amount of relief but Zoë wasn’t looking to fix everything. She just needed to ensure that the boy could be stabilized enough to safely be brought to the School Nurse for more substantial treatment. Even if briefly, Mathias would be the only one who might be able to provide some immediate insight into any dire injuries that she was not seeing. “This is going to be painful,” Zoë said, half to herself before pointing the wand at Mathias. “Rennervate.”

Interacting with: @Zoë Fresnel and @Jack Warren

While Eliseo’s passive eyes watched over the boy, he could see that shock had begun to set in. Perhaps the pounding rush of adrenaline was slipping out of the child or perhaps the reality of the situation was slowly beginning to set in. There was no way Eliseo could truly discern what may be happening in the boy’s head but he could see that the mind was lost in the chaos. Behind the blood and violence, Jack was clearly just a child. A lost child perhaps and one that would answer for whatever had occurred. But part of Eliseo felt for the child. He hadn’t exactly been a model wizard himself in his younger years and had his share of things that he wished he could undo.

Jack’s words came as a wavering shadow. Each tired word seemed lost in whatever emotions must have been swirling in the boy’s head. Even with the child’s uncertainty, Eliseo was convinced that this child had escaped any true physical harm. A small silver lining to an otherwise hellish situation. Eliseo examined the boy’s hands as he began to raise the clenched fists. Carelessly, Eliseo prodded at one of the bloodied hands with his wand. “Hm...Yes...Looks like a couple might be busted,” Eliseo said. His tone remained matter of fact, drained of any care or compassion. “I’d recommend wrapping your hands next time you want to hit something. Preferably not another student,” Eliseo said in his low casual tone.

Sliding his wand back into his belt, the Groundskeeper made no effort to mend the boy’s cut and likely broken knuckles. He was there to ensure there wasn’t anything severe but those injuries he had brought on himself. If anything they would be a nice reminder of the boy’s mistake. Perhaps it was a bit harsh, but Eliseo didn’t exactly think Jack would be in a position to complain about his lack of knuckle-based healing. Peering down at the boy’s pitiful expression, Eliseo again found himself feeling sorry for the child. At the very least, the demeanor told Eliseo that somewhere deep down the child might understand that they erred in their judgment.

Immediately as the boy began to offer a faint justification, Eliseo shook his head dismissively. “Your lack of conviction in those words isn’t very convincing, boy. I don’t know the cause...and I don’t care. But if you are going to make excuses, at least put some effort in,” Eliseo added with a bored grumble. “ Next time you feel the sudden need to do something like this to ‘protect’ someone. Come to me first. I won’t judge your malice or rage but I will find something more useful for it than this,” Eliseo mumbled to Jack.

For something as heinous as this, however, Eliseo wondered what the fate of the boy would be. Glancing over towards Zoë and the still unmoving boy, Eliseo sighed to himself. He assumed it was some foolish childhood rivalry or something of the sort that likely caused the fight. But if that boy did not get up off the ground… Eliseo put the thought out of his head. Zoë likely knew what she was doing and he would hope that there wasn’t any lasting damage. For the sake of both the kids.

Interacting with: @Mathias Pride | @Zoë Fresnel Mentioning: @Eliseo Céspedes | @Jack Warren

Date: August 14th, 2021 Outfit: Dress

Staying calm was easier said than done. The children of Hogwarts liked to play, to pretend they were wise beyond their years, but at the end of the day Winnie Harper was practically a child. A child who was watching another die. "Y-Yes, Professor Fresnel." The verbal sobbing had ceased, but the girl’s lower lip continued to tremble as she tried to swallow her distress. It was through watery eyes that she watched the Charm’s professor go to work, casting several spells that the Ravenclaw had only read of in books before. She would have been amazed if not for the dying boy on the grass.

Wheezing had never before sounded so beautiful. The redhead’s grip on the Slytherin’s hand tightened. "He’s breathing!" She proclaimed the obvious in breathy anticipation. She shifted her weight, pushing up onto her knees to hover over the boy and get a closer look at his still bruised face. He looked more like the Mathias she knew, but the image of his battered face would likely remain with her.

"Mattie...!" More tears sprang to her eyes when the boy stirred, and a sob of pure relief escaped her lips when he finally spoke. "Matt... You weren’t m-moving... I... I thought you were dead..." Her shoulders shook her frame as she cried. The girl was hysterical, but luckily, she still had enough sense not to jump on top of the boy and squeeze out whatever dwindling life remained.

She shifted her gaze to Professor Fresnel, or the direction the woman was in. "T-Thank you... Thank you..." Her own voice was weak, her throat raw from screeching for help. This had been perhaps the only time her ‘pterodactyl’ screeches had come in handy. "L-Let’s take him to Mr. Brumby, p-please..." Before anything else went wrong. Before Jack tried to come back and finish the job. She wasn’t aware he was still nearby, wasn’t aware that the groundskeeper accompanied him. Perhaps it was for the best, or Jack might have had to visit the Hospital Wing himself.

If Matt is taken to the Hospital Wing, my consent is given to have Winnie exit the thread with them.
Winnie's interactions with Matt will continue after a time jump to the Owed Apologies thread.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]he boy couldn't help but flex his fingers. Something in the boy instinctually wanting to feel the searing pain that would shoot up his hands into his forearms. Matt deserved the punishment he received, but maybe the soon-to-be-former Prefect deserved his pain as well. However, when did Jack decide that he had the right to dol out beatings? Was it when he had seen the tears streaming down Winnie's face? Or was it something that Jack had subconsciously decided would happen, no matter the target? If it wasn't Pride, would it of been somebody else? Could it have been Jake? Or George? The boy couldn't tell if this was some deep dark desire for destruction or his natural desire to protect his sister. The two forces clashed inside his head. Was he the bad guy? He felt no regret for exerting his power upon the other student, but the look of fear on Winnie's face was seared into his memory.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]he Grounds Keeper, Eliseo, was a stone wall compared to Jack's furious flurry of emotions. Nevertheless, Jack already knew the answer the man had given. Jack could only grimace at the pain from the Keeper's wand. 'Busted' is what he had said. No shit. If Jack didn't bust them, he wouldn't be in pain every time he moved his fingers. The advice of wrapping his fists before hitting something other than a child was probably the best advice he had received that day so far. It was a low bar, considering he hadn't received any advice up until that point. Jack let out a deep breath as Eliso decided to leave his knuckles in such a terrible state. The boy could understand why there was no action to fix the injuries he had caused himself. Damn human hands, and why did they have to be so damn fragile!

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]H[/font]is words were valid, but Eliso was correct; there was no effort to convince himself or the man. For the first time, Jack would make eye contact with Eliso. "Okay" A place without judgement might be nice. The man had said what he said, which most definitely means that Jack would take him up on his word. The Keeper of the Grounds better be prepared for the handful that was Jack Warren. But until then, Jack had nothing else to say, and so he just waited. He waited for his well-deserved punishment, whether that be him being hauled off for murder or losing his position as Prefect. This is a fun day!

Waiting on impending doom with @Eliseo Céspedes

Interacting With:
@Mathias Pride, @Jack Warren and @Eliseo Céspedes
Mentioning: @Winnie Harper

Pain. An exclamation of pain! It was the most beautiful complaint that had ever entered Zoë’s ears. Despite the clear agony of the boy, there was still that slight bit of life in him. A small sliver of hope that she would take as a victory. However, it wasn’t exactly a clean win. Hearing any sound from the boy that wasn’t a gargle was good but the guttural cough that escaped the boy’s mouth only reminded Zoë that she was just offering a temporary reprieve and sanctuary from death. Mathias was still very much in critical condition. The blood leaving his mouth from the rough cough suggested that there was still blood flowing into his windpipe, if not a more severe injury to the lungs themselves.

“There you are! I know it's hard, Mathias. Just stay strong for me. You will be okay, we will get you to safety,” Zoë said softly as the boy let out a faint mumble about his breathing. She wished she could offer him more solace. Words or actions that might truly convince the boy, and herself. But there was none that she could offer. More importantly, there was no time to waste trying to verbally comfort the boy. He could talk, even if barely. While the extent of his injuries were unclear, Zoë did not want to waste any more time just putting patches over the potential flood of injuries. It was time that he got the treatment he actually needed. Moving him would be painful but Zoë wasn’t sure if the boy would actually remain conscious for the process.

Turning her attention to Eliseo who seemed to be speaking with Jack, Zoë beckoned the man over with a wave. “Eliseo, I need help over here,” she called out, trying to keep her voice level. She flashed a quick glance towards Jack, a sudden pang of disappointment rang through her but she quickly turned her attention back to the approaching Groundskeeper. “I need you to take Mathias to Kelsey.” Very carefully, she dipped one of her arms under the boy and carefully lifted him. She wasn’t exactly the strongest and her cautious approach made it exceptionally challenging to lift the boy, while also rising to her own feet. Luckily, Eliseo was quickly there to lighten then take the load from her. He seemed to be holding the boy carefully in his arms as best he could. It was a terrible method of transport but they didn’t have many options.

“Take him right there and try to keep an eye on his breathing. You may need to clear the airway on the way…” Zoë paused as she tried to think of anything else she could tell the man but the stress of the situation was causing her mind to race. “Get there carefully but as fast as you can manage. And Eliseo, avoid taking him through the camp or around other students. We don’t need a panic if we can avoid it.” Realizing the man was probably intelligent enough to understand what needed to be done, Zoë forced herself to halt the anxiety-filled instructions. Without offering another word, Zoë would watch as Eliseo began to carefully carry Mathias away from the scene of the beating.

With an exasperated sigh, Zoë watched as Winnie would accompany the Groundskeeper away giving her a brief moment to compose her thoughts. She wiped some of the excess blood from her hands onto the side of her dress. Closing her eyes for a moment to breathe, she told herself that Mathias would be okay. Eliseo would get the boy to Kelsey and they could figure out everything that was wrong. Everything would be okay. But… There was still one large half of the situation that still needed attention. Opening her eyes, Zoë turned them towards Jack.

The calm and comforting expression that had been tattooed across her face while helping Mathias was replaced with disappointed anger. The situation was far beyond a schoolyard fight and the severity of what happened and what still could happen removed any semblance of sympathy for the other child. Turning, Zoë began to quickly march towards Jack, wand still in hand. “What could you have possibly been thinking?” She said in more of a stifled shout. Gritting her teeth, she considered the boy for a moment as she peered down at him. “No...No. You couldn’t have possibly been thinking. There is no way you could have done something so absolutely stupid. Do you even understand what would have happened if we weren’t close?” Zoë gave the boy no chance to answer her largely rhetorical venting. “He would have died, Jack! He is still barely hanging on as it is. What could have possibly driven a Hufflepuff prefect to do this? I need an explanation...NOW!” Zoë growled. “This is NOT how things are handled at this school and you know that. I want you to explain to me everything that happened,” Zoë said. Much of the venom faded in her final sentence as she began to recompose herself. She was angry but she knew the boy would face punishment from his Head of House. At the very least she just needed to know what had driven the young, relatively respectable, student to commit something so heinous.