2021, Stage 1 Hufflepuff vs Slytherin: Match 6

Earl had frozen. Whether it was the anxiety of being forced to spell someone, or just his first duel, he couldn't tell you. He was standing one the platform, wand held loosely between his fingers, looking blankly at the two students across from him and Luce. It was too late that he figured out he was supposed to do something.

Both the spells hit him before he had any time to react, knocking him backwards nearly off the stage. Too stunned to make himself lighter in order to brace for the fall, Earl fell like a ragdoll, his head hitting the wall with an audible crack. "Ow". The world was spinning, room having gone blurry. He stumbled to his feet, reaching for the wand he'd somehow kept ahold of.

There was not the vaguest clue of what was going on floating through his head. Luce had tried to explain, god bless her, but every time she'd started talking he'd drifted off somewhere in his head, only zoning in to hear random bits of conversation. It wasn't for lack of trying either. He'd focus on focusing and then realize that because he was focusing on focusing he wasn't focusing on her, and she'd have to repeat herself over again, or he'd just not along and hope he'd figure it out.

Well he wasn't figuring it out. At all. Not in the slightest. Instead, he'd stumbled to his feet throwing her a half panicked look. Great start. He was woozy, and the right lens on his glasses had a giant crack running through it. "Okay. Alright." He'd cast this spell plenty of times. Mostly because it had taken a while to master, but s t i l l. Gingerly picking up his glasses, he set them off to the side of the podium. Last thing he needed was glass to cave in on his eye. He could see fairly well without them anyway, they were there for aesthetics more than anything else.

A deep breath in, a deep breath out. He leveled his wand.

Action: doing as strategized

Round 2

Lucia Fox vs Ileen Knight

Reducio

Lucia Fox cast Wind Jinx at Ileen Knight.
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 13] + 9 = 22, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 12] + 7 = 19
Evasion Check: [d20: 6] + 0 Blindfolded = 6
19 > 6 → Hit
Damage: 50 + 6 × 10 = 110
Duration: [d3: 2] 1 round
Effects: -4 Evasion

Earl Gray vs Ileen Knight

Reducio

Earl Gray cast Dancing Feet Spell at Ileen Knight.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 5 = 8, failure

Ileen Knight

Reducio

Successfully removed blindfold!

Hanako Tone vs Earl Gray

Reducio

Hanako Tone cast Incendio Duo at Earl Gray.
Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 Lovely Creature = 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 12] + 8 = 20, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 5] + 9 = 14
Evasion Check: [d20: 3] + 6 -2 Debuff = 7
14 > 7 → Hit
Damage: 60 + 8 × 10 = 140
Duration: [d3: 1] 1 round
Effects: Aflame for 1 round

It seemed that the badgers were awake now, with Earl defrosted from his standstill. Perhaps it was the piping hot Incendio Duo his adversary, Hanako had sent his way that brought him back to the here and now. It struck the badger cleanly, perhaps in retaliation he made a move to capitalize upon the blindfolded Ileen's inability to see anything coming her way. Unfortunately for Earl, his Tarantallegra did not take form, incantation professed into the empty air with no flash of light to follow.

Despite this exchange, Lucia would definitely be taking the opportunity to show Ileen what for. Her Ventus struck the Slytherin just as she was taking off her blindfold, an almost painful gust of air that would certainly leave Ileen... Winded... "Heh," Thomas chuckled a bit to himself, not due to the duel itself but because of the silly little pun his mind conjured up as he was moderating.

"Looks like Slytherin is not giving up. What did this badger do to deserve this kind of targeting!?" Thomas asked of the opposing duelists on the piste, fully not expecting an answer as the question was largely rhetorical, another joke only he was in on. The Ravenclaw was rather fond of those.

OOC Info

Hello all! Same rules as usual, but I'll reiterate just in case: @Earl Gray @Lucia Fox @Ileen Knight @Hanako Tone
- The minimum WC for this duel is 50 words.
-You now have 96 hours to post your entrance post.
- In the same time period, send me, Thomas Baines, your team's actions per owl.
- If you don't post or owl in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
- Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for the duration of the duel (you cannot cast spells that are added to your trunk during the duel, for example).
- Check out the latest patch so you're on top of things.
- If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl me, or feel free to reach out on Discord as well!
- Good luck, and have fun

Spectator thread

[font=PT Sans]
"Looks like Slytherin is not giving up. What did this badger do to deserve this kind of targeting!?" While Hanako merely laughed at that, he was tempted to answer genuinely. Which would be that the cute Hufflepuff was simply too distracting. Hanako was by no means, merciless. But he was a great appreciator of beauty. And its just what both of his opponents had. However, between conserving lovely beauty, and showing off how much of a better spell caster he was compared to Ileen, Hanako would choose the latter option anytime of the day. “Keep rolling on the ground or something, and maybe it’ll go away!” he suggested the slightly burning Hufflepuff without much remorse. He was still quite a fighter, staying still even after a blast like. Makes Hanako want to cheer him on. Earl Gray

On his own side, Ileen wasn’t having that much good luck. While she managed to get the blindfold off, she was now blasted with strong wind. Hufflepuff certainly wishes to take her out, huh. Made him a bit lonely. “ Am I not good enough to be targeted, guys?” he asked both the Hufflepuffs, feigning hurt.

Hanako glanced at his partner having difficulty in moving, and the cute Hufflepuff he shot a fire spell at, then back at the girl Hufflepuff, a lightbulb lit up in his head. “W-wait a second here.” he glanced at the pretty Hufflepuff girlLucia Fox before snickering. “ Are you- are you interested in me~? Is that why you’re attacking my partner so recklessly? Jealousy perhaps~? Wanted some alone time with me, was it~? Hah!”

Of course, it surely wasn’t. But opponents sometimes are better conversationalists than a partner that was struggling to keep a steady foot on the ground. Plus, being cocky was such a nice pastime during a duel.

“You know there’s better time and dates to get my attention. And start slow maybe. Like, perhaps ask me my name first~. How about that~?” he asked in a sickly sick tone, clearly not taking the Hufflepuffs seriously.

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Doing as Strategized

He just wouldn't shut up! Usually, you don't talk to your opponants during a duel. Lucia knew this. Did he not, or was he just dumb? Lucia felt the anger burning inside her as Earl was hit again, and again, and the Slytherin boy just kept talking and then- Lucia's cheeks burned as strongly as Earl's robes. She practically growled in the direction of this boy, this idiot who thought it was a good idea to provoke her. "When you're aflame and unconcious," Lucia promised darkly, "I'm not going to regret it."

Ileen didn’t waste another second. She had returned those stupid blindfolds before. But her opponents didn’t hesitate to use their advantage. Just as she had removed it and blinked into the light, she was caught by the spell she had just casted a few seconds before. Her favorite spell. The wind jinx. It was the first time she was hit by the powerful wind. "Damn it!"
She clenched her teeth together to suppress a painful hiss. Her long brown hair whipped in her face and she held her arm in front of her face to keep the hair away from her eyes.
Frustrated, she spun around on her own axis and tried to make out something.

Action: Doing as strategized

Earl had set himself on fire before.

And he knew from experience that burns were hard to heal, and harder to make look pretty. So, like any child who'd been raised amongst muggles, he stopped. Dropped. Rolled. His porcelain skin had taken on a rosy glow by the time he'd managed to push himself up again. It was harder this time, but there was a grin blooming across his face.

If they were spelling him, they weren't spelling Luce. "I think they like me!" He beamed up at the commentator. His eyeliner had smudged in the scuffle, and there was smoke coming out of his robes. But somehow, he pulled it off, turning to wink at the Slytherin who'd set him on fire. "Does this mean you think I'm hot?" What followed was absolutely audacious hair flip, considering the guy had just spelled him twice. "Trying to charm me, are you?"

He lowered his wand, pointing it towards the boy with a grin which seemed to have been placed there by Aphrodite herself, all charm and laughter. Bruises were starting to darken on Earl's skin, blood trickling slowly from the back off his head when he'd been slammed into the floor. "You owe me a new cloak by the way". Earl wasn't gonna say he was grateful it had been set on fire. But if Tone hadn't done it, he would have eventually. The thing was just asking for it. Sitting in the closet for longer than he had, dusty and ugly, looking like a repurposed garbage bag. "If you're gonna slam me against the floor at least take me to dinner first"

Action: doing as strategized

Round 3

Earl Gray

Reducio

Earl Gray actively dodges.
Active Dodge: 5 + 0.25 x (6 + 7) = 8.25 → 8 Bonus to Evasion.

Lucia Fox vs Ileen Knight

Reducio

Lucia Fox cast Wind Jinx at Ileen Knight.
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 6] + 9 = 15, success
Split-Chance: [d10:1], fail
Accuracy Check: [d20: 10] + 7 = 17
Evasion Check: [d20: 14] + 9 + 2 = 25
17 < 25 → Miss

Ileen Knight

Reducio

Ileen Knight actively dodges.
Active Dodge: 5 + 0.25 x (9 + 2) = 7.75 → 8 Bonus to Evasion.

Hanako Tone vs Earl Gray

Reducio

Hanako Tone cast Knockback Jinx at Earl Gray.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 6] + 8 = 14, success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 6] + 9 = 15
Evasion Check: [d20: 19] + 6 + 7 = 32
15 < 32 → Miss

The next round took place and all duellists were read and prepared for action; Earl Gray looked a little roughed up but he would face the other team head on, ready to dodge any spell. The same would go for Ileen Knight who too had prepared herself to focus on the defense rather than the offense which probably was a good choice considering the wind that pulled at her and would plague her for one more time before it weakened into nothing. Lucia Fox would attempt to send another wind jinx hurling at the Slytherin girl, but would miss the girl who had been expecting this attack. It would however not look much better for the vipers. As Hanako Tone would attempt to send a knockback jinx the metamorph's way, he would soon notice how nimble the kid was as he gracefully jumped out of the spells way almost like a dancer as he sidestepped the threat. However the burning flame would catch the boy just one more time before being extinguished due to the passing of time. It sure hurt a lot and would leave the Hufflepuff even more vulnerable and bring him closer to the brink of unconsciousness.

OOC Info

Hello all! Same rules as usual, but I'll reiterate just in case: @Earl Gray @Lucia Fox @Ileen Knight @Hanako Tone
- The minimum WC for this duel is 50 words.
-You now have 96 hours to post your entrance post.
- In the same time period, send me, Thomas Baines, your team's actions per owl.
- If you don't post or owl in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
- Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for the duration of the duel (you cannot cast spells that are added to your trunk during the duel, for example).
- Check out the latest patch so you're on top of things.
- If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl me, or feel free to reach out on Discord as well!
- Good luck, and have fun

Spectator thread

[font=PT Sans]
He got widely different reactions from both Hufflepuffs. Which was amusing in their own way. So amusing that he couldn’t help but let out a short chuckle. Was duel supposed to be this fun? It depended more on it’s participants, he guessed. It could be rounds of silent attacks, uneasy tension, or it could just be idle flirting. The 2nd was certainly more fun for Hanako.

However, fun didn’t mean it was good. Hanako’s flirting dripped with sarcasm. It’s sole purpose was to annoy other people. With that look on the currently burning Hufflepuff boy, we should ask about what happens when the goal of getting others riled up, failed?[/font]

Reducio

[font=PT Sans]Now usually, Hanako could save himself from embarrassment. Take his encounter with Not-Hot Enzo/Akari from Chess Combat. They have quite the short- fun banter. But see, Not-Hot never suggested Hanako slamming him against the floor. Perhaps if Earl just stopped after ‘You owe me a new cloak by the way’, Hanako would’ve happily retorted. But that was not the reality they live in right now.

“ I- no I would neve-” Hanako fumbled embarrassingly over his words, before shaking his head a bit looking annoyed. Damn good looking people! Can’t they be banned from saying such weird things?! “ Flipendo''. And of c o u r s e he just happened to miss his spell. But that failure of a spell did do some good to his complexion, which was no longer as red as a second ago. “ Heh, bit of an odd place to discuss date plans, isn’t it? Why don’t you sit a bit more still next time so we can speed this match up, hm~? The faster we end this, the faster we can talk about that dinner you suggested~”

On the other hand, the girl Hufflepuff seemed unappreciative of his earlier comment, where she fired back with a rather dark promise. One Hanako couldn’t take seriously. For he had never been unconscious and aflame. “ As much as I looveee being your focus, shouldn’t you focus a bit on your little partner there~? He seems a little too hot-in more ways than one. Not a very Hufflepuff move there~. Why is that? Confident you can win alone?~” Hanako jeered teasingly, glancing back at the boy, wondering how one could look so charming despite being on fire. He’s so close to passing out, yet he still evaded Hana’s knockback jinx that could’ve easily just put him out of the game. Impressively, in a graceful manner at that.

Earlier, Hanako was sure that girl-hufflepuff would extinguish poor boy-hufflepuff. A fallen teammate would be a huge disadvantage towards any team. She could’ve easily spared him a few burns, but she chose to go after Ileen instead. Interesting choice. One Hanako wouldn’t ponder more about. Because it was a tough choice to make. And he wasn’t sure if he’d do anything differently in her shoes. Also because he was too lazy to think about it more.

“ Good job on not getting hit again, Knight~” Hanako said to his partner. “ Keep it up, and maybe I’ll pass out before you. Just maybe”
[/font]

Doing as Strategized

Still struggling with the wind jinx, the young girl decided that there was no use in trying to hit her opponents. She should rather take cover until the worst was over - since she was the weaker target, it would make sense if they attacked her. And it was a good thing she had anticipated that. Soon enough, another spell came her way, but this time, she was prepared.

Ducking out of the way, she smirked at her partner. She had blurred out Hanako’s rambling, but now she was back on track. “Thank you. I can give you a hand with the passing out thing, if you want?” She couldn’t talk seriously with this boy. Not even in a duel. “And you probably should stop flirting and instead of hitting on them, you should just… you know… hit them." She couldn’t help but give him a sassy smile.
Waving away her own words she raised her wand again, but couldn’t let it go quite yet. “But I know that you have attention issues. Since they are more focused on me I understand your little banter to be the center of it again.”
She raised her right eyebrow and smiled at Earl. “I can not recommend him as a dating partner. He might show up underdressed."

Action: Doing as strategized

There are soooo many things I wanna say that Earl wouldn't say

"You didn't say no" Earl pointed out, sidestepping the spell hurled at his face almost as a second thought. The movement, although graceful, made the room spin a little. He was off balance, bruises slowly starting to darken against porcelain skin. It was almost worth it. Seeing the look on Tone's face. A lovely pink flush which had crept up the other one's cheeks. "'Flustered' looks good on you."

Luce was still seething with rage. Earl cast her the side eye. His shock had cost them the duel unless she managed to pull some wizardry from her sleeve. He owed her a butterbeer at the very least. And about a million apologies.

"That's a very hufflepuff move, actually. We're resistant to fire, don't you know?" And absolute myth, started by the common room setting intruders on fire. Not many people knew about it, and Earl wasn't even completely sure it was true. But he liked having tiny laughs over it, especially while he was sneaking out in the mornings to do his makeup. It sounded about as real as the pygmy puff infestation in his dorm, something no one believed him about despite the very real, very fluffy truth.

"So tomorrow at six?" Earl asked Tone with a smile. Even with his robes smoking and blood tricking down the back of his neck, Earl managed to light up the (annoyingly dim) room with a grin. Ileen cut in, her timing impeccable. He mirrored her raised eyebrow, tucking a strand of pink hair behind his ear. "Oh I have enough clothes for the both of us" Earl said smoothly, thinking of the silver cloak just sitting in his closet. It would look wonderful on the other boy, bring out his hair and the admittedly gorgeous eyes. It didn't matter anyway. Tone could put on a garbage bag and still look absolutely wonderful.

Action: Doing as strategized