2022, Stage 3 Ravenclaw vs Slytherin: Match 2

After a close victory with the lions in the last round, he spent the next few weeks not only honing his resistance but convincing himself not all Gryffindors were the scum of the earth. Fun? Teamwork? Giggles? What’s all that got to do with Duelling? Certainly not how he was brought up being in the Slytherin Duelling Team. ‘If you lose, in the pit you go’ as they say. Safe to say that Hanako harboured immense anger in that tiny body of his. Thankfully, he was up against Ravenclaw this round. He knew a few from the blue team. His mentor in Decent Human Behaviour Daella Prince, and floppy woophy cushion Mars T’ien. Regrettably, they were not his opponents and he was once again stuck duelling with 2 strangers.

They weren’t the only strangers in this duel. Next to him was not his teammate, Ileen Knight. Which is good. Yes. Right? Right. At least he didn’t need to feel too awkward with Cash’s hamster, Starlee. They had duelled as comrades during the Chess Combats and were a part of the same Parselmouth club. Still not the best history considering the circumstances they met briefly, him as Martyna’s totally believable date during the earlier fall ball. But that was a pandora's box he wasn’t going to open anytime soon.

Apart from Starlee, another familiar face showed up at the duel as well. It’s been a while since he’d seen such a familiar face. Where had he seen him before? It was like some imagination Hanako used to hallucinate so he didn’t need to feel so lonely. A faded image of a stuffed animal came to mind, and he didn't have the luxury of having a bad memory to not realise who was moderating his duel.

It was the Hallucination. Hanako's breakdown happened so long ago that he almost forgot about him. Wait, he’s r e a l??? No no, what if he’s still just an imagination, he’ll go away soon. His hopeless pleas failed to save him from seeing the Hallucination giving him a friendly wave. One with warmth that sent actual shivers down Hana’s spine. Embarrassment was written all over his face he turned away from the Hallucinations' friendly gesture without giving one back. Nu-uh, this was not the time to crawl in a hole or scream into his pillow. Now that he knew the Hufflepuff wasn’t just a figment of his imagination, Hanako needed to win this duel. Embarrassing himself again was not on his to-do list today.

Apart from reuniting with his favourite Hallucination, he looked forward to observing his and Starlee’s interactions during this duel. Ileen was at least used to his boisterous nature and needless flirting/mocking with their opponents. Perhaps Starlee could have the same patience? Realising he was still thinking of Ileen, he snapped out of it and asked his new teammate a question of high importance.

“ Sooooooo” he glanced towards the Ravenclaw team in front of him. “ Which one do you think is cuter, hm, Kennedy~?” His voice was loud enough for the cuties in question to listen loud and clear, obviously trying to stir some sort of reaction from them.

Reducio

“Cauuuuuuusee, if you ask me I fancy that one over there” his brown eyes glanced towards the elegant-looking Ravenclaw and sent her a quick wink. “ Interested in seeing how you’ll steal my heart this round. With your beauty, your flipendos, your evasiveness, or will you surprise me~?”.

Had he seen her before? Perhaps she was a familiar face during lessons, not that he ever paid attention to class in the first place.

Doing as Strategized

@Starlee Kennedy | @Hanako Tone | @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Delilah was immediately a bit weirded out by the 3rd years comments, but then again, she was a few years older than him. The idea of him asking which of the ravenclaws was cuter, Eun-ji was actually a similar age to him, that made a lot more sense. Although at a glance at Delilah you wouldn't think from her height that she was turning 17 at the end of this year.

Unlike the hufflepuffs, Del had a feeling she was not at all going to feel bad for this kid.

She looked over at Eun-ji, a relative newbie to the duelling scene in comparison to herself. "You're gonna do great." and with that, Delilah didn't hesitate to pull out her wand.

This time, Eun-ji walked towards the stage confidently. It was only her second duel and she spent most of her first one on fire (not in a good way)… Still, they pushed through and won. She was fully determined to do the same today. Well minus the fire part of course. The witch didn’t know either of her opponents well. Starlee, she only met once while chasing pumpkins during the Halloween incident and the second year didn’t seem too keen on her. Sure, she was not nice to Cassandra that day but they started it...as per usual. That factor obviously wasn’t very important in Starlee’s world however and to be fair, Eun-ji couldn’t care less. She wasn’t looking for friends. As for Hanako, that one she only really met in class. They never even spoke if she remembered correctly. It turned out that was about to change today.

So he is the type to enjoy some banter then. Eun-ji made a mental note about that while listening to the Slytherin’s short exchange. Unfortunately, if the boy thought he could throw her of with his “flirting” he was very much mistaken. Sure, the Ravenclaw was indeed not great at handling compliments but she knew this was not a genuine interaction. Tilting her head, the girl shrugged. “A little impatient, aren’t you?” She said, clearly unbothered and not impressed. She was as calm and collected as ever. After all, she had a great support right next to her. Delilah was a fifth year and she already had good experience with duelling. She was the kind of person you wanted to have by your side at times like these. “Thank you, I’ll do my best.” She nodded at her teammate, appreciating the words of encouragement. Now…no more talking, it’s time for action.

It was clear that Starlee had been angry after her loss in the stage two duel. She felt like she had done significantly better than in prior duels, her aim being actually somewhat good for once, but it still hadn't been enough to pull out a win. It had also been an even playing field; both parties had contained a fourth and second year, so she felt as if she had much more of a chance to win than prior. It still hadn't helped, and while she wasn't entirely knocked out as she had been in the past, it left a worse feeling of loss as it had been so close.

But now, she wasn't feeling great whatsoever. To start off with, there was the clear age difference between herself and her opponents. While she vaguely recognized Hunt from that time last Halloween where the animated pumpkins got loose in the castle, she knew that they were in Cash's year, and that there was some beef between the two. While Starlee typically wasn't one to judge too quickly, she would do anything when it came to Cash, so if Cash was against Hunt, so was Starlee. Then on top of that, there was Stewart. One of the older students on the duelling teams, clearly ready to crush her and Tone.

Tone. Of course there was Tone. Why, out of everyone she could have been placed with, did she had to be put with Tone? Why couldn't she have stayed with Illowy? She had grown rather fond of the older student, almost seeing her as a duelling mentor. But now, here she was placed with Hanako Tone. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. So clearly, this would make for a rather... interesting duel.

It seemed like her typical exchange of cheering on her teammate would come to a grinding halt with this duel as Tone seemingly out of nowhere asked which of the two she thought was cuter. She had never watched one of his duels, there was no need to since she couldn't care less about how he did, so she was quickly taken aback by the question. It flustered her momentarily, and she flushed, then quickly physically shook her head to be rid of the thought. Did... did he not realize that she could honestly care less about his opinions? Plus, why on earth would he be bringing this up in the first place? Some silly mind game to get into their heads? If it has be almost anyone but Tone, she would have been inclined to banter along with them.

Starlee remained silent as he asked his questions, then waiting to say after the second, "I didn't ask you Tone, did I?" while failing at holding back rolling her eyes. Just ignore him and focus on your spell casting. Don't let him or the others get into your head. It was clear the others at least liked each other, giving each other pre-battle confidence boosters, but it seemed she would have to do it to herself this match.

'You can do it Starlee. Just remain focused.' Easier said than done.

Action: Doing as Strategized

Round One

Delilah Stewart vs Starlee Kennedy and Hanako Tone

Reducio

Delilah Stewart cast Impediment Jinx at Starlee Kennedy using Spell Spread

Wisdom DC: 13 + 2 (Spell Spread) = 15
Wisdom Check: [d20: 14] + 12 = 26
26 > 15 → Success

vs. Starlee Kennedy
Accuracy Check: [d20: 17] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 27
Evasion Check: [d20: 8] + 8 = 16
27 > 16 → Hit

Effects: Target suffers -5 Evasion or -5 Accuracy until both stats reach 0 or nullified
Impedimenta: Accuracy picked on random draw

vs. Hanako Tone
Accuracy Check: [d20: 13] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 23
Evasion Check: [d20: 1] + 6 = 7
23 > 7 → Hit

Effects: Target suffers -5 Evasion or -5 Accuracy until both stats reach 0 or nullified
Impedimenta: Accuracy picked on random draw

Eun-Ji Lee Hunt vs Starlee Kennedy

Reducio

Eun-Ji Lee Hunt cast Wind Jinx at Starlee Kennedy.

Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 14] + 10 = 24
24 > 11 → Success

Auto-Split Check: 9 → No Auto-Split

Accuracy Check: [d20: 7] + 9 = 16
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 8 = 19
16 < 19 → Miss

Starlee Kennedy vs Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Reducio

Starlee Kennedy cast Fire-Making Spell II at Eun-ji Lee Hunt.

Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 16] + 8 + 1 (Comprehend Languages) = 25
25 > 12 → Success

Accuracy Check: [d20: 20] + 7 = 27
Evasion Check: [d20: 3] + 8 = 11
27 > 11 → Hit

Duration: [d3: 3] → 2 rounds (1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds)
Damage: 60 + (6 × 10) = 120
Effects: The target suffers –60 HP per round.

Hanako Tone vs Delilah Stewart

Reducio

Hanako Tone cast Disarming Charm at Delilah Stewart.
Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: [d20: 7] + 7 = 14
14 > 10 → Success

Accuracy Check: [d20: 8] + 9 = 17
Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 10 = 23
17 < 23 → Miss

Hanako was sure looking at him strange...Jake remembered their meeting from years ago, but he had forgotten that Hana had once thought he was a hallucination. He did remember the Slytherin boy had been crying a lot though...Jake knew that sometimes he got embarrassed when people saw him cry. Maybe that was all it was...

But Hanako rebounded quickly. Starlee's wasn't the only face that flushed as Hanako began to wink at the Ravenclaws and ask which one was cuter. Jake's cheeks turned a bit red as well as he overheard a conversation he really didn't feel like he was supposed to hear. Wasn't Valentine's day like months ago? Jake had had more than enough of that (He was maybe still a little scarred by what had happened that day with him and Dealla)

"Ahem, all competitors would do well to remember that this is a dueling platform, NOT a dating party." Jake pointed out, shuffling his feet awkwardly and lowering his head. Being a prefect was starting to teach him how to be a little more assertive...sometimes. Was that an overstep of his powers? Probably, but he had a real bone to pick with love and romance, and seeing all of his friends falling into it sure didn't help. He didn't really even know what a dating party was, but it sounded like the kind of thing the other kids his age liked, and probably was a way better place for this kind of talk. It was bad enough he had to watch everyone hurt each other. If they started kissing? No.

It was almost a relief this time when the spells started flying. Hanako for all his talk, was quick on the draw, and he paired his disarming words with a disarming spell, sent right for Delilah. She was quick too though and managed to step out of the way. He would probably really wish that he had been just a smidge faster...

Because Delilah soon sweep her wand across, and send forth an impediment jinx that would split in two directions, jetting towards both opposing Slytherins.

Jake had seen this once before, in his last duel watching Astrea. Some of the older students, with enough focus, could make their spells branch out and hit two people at the same time. It was amazing to see! Jake had tried it out once by himself after the last duel, but hadn't been able to come even close (It was hard enough making ONE knockback jinx, let alone two. Jake wasn't always good at the aggressive spells). Delilah did it perfectly.

At the same time, Starlee, who had looked focused when she'd come onto the stage, would shoot an Incendio Duo at Eun-ji, and while the Ravenclaw girl had remained calm in the wake of Hanako's flirting, her poise would be tested as the side of her robes would light on fire. Jake cringed...it was his least favorite spell but every duel seemed to use it. No matter how many times it happened he ALWAYS felt like they weren't going to be ok. He watched Eun-ji as she tried to fire back with a wind jinx, but Starlee was too quick for that, and the gust did nothing to diminish the creeping flame.

Starlee's success was short-lived though. Delilah's impediment jinx hit its mark on not just Starlee but Hanako too. Jake blinked. At first it looked like nothing was happening at all. But Hanako and Starlee would know what had happened...All of their movements would begin to slow, as if the air around them was slowing turning to molasses, getting thicker and thicker by the second. And while they could fight against the spell for now, it would become harder and harder as time went on.

Information

1. You have 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this post to post at least 50 words and owl me (Jake Morris) your moves.

2. Please don't hint at your move inside of your RP, as it gives the other team an advantage.

3. If you don't post before the deadline, your move will be void.

4. If you have any questions, or notice anything wrong in the mod post, please don't hesitate to send me an owl!

5. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for this duel. Any new abilities added to your trunk after this duel started cannot be used.

6. For your convenience, here are the duelling rules, the duelling spells, and the latest patch.

7. Good luck!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here
This duel takes place during Day 2!

Starlee’s sass was not appreciated, and Hanako showed just how much it was by rolling his eyes at her comment. “ Buzz kill “ he muttered under his breath. “Birds of a feather flock together, hm?” he rhetorically asked slightly louder than his previous comment with a hint of sass of his own. Cassandra Ironwoods was a dear friend of Starlee’s, that he knew. Angering your teammates was possibly not the brightest idea when you’re supposed to work together. But he couldn’t help that they both had the sense of humor of a rock. Shame, he couldn’t have fun with either of them. @Cassandra Ironwoods

Now at least Knight wouldn’t give such a dry response. Which is why they’re such great partners. Or at least- was. Damn, was he really thinking of her again? These sorts of thoughts need to be gone. He had a duel to focus on.

Well if his partner won’t be the one giving him any entertainment, then, of course, he’d pay attention to the dear Ravenclaw’s now does he? Less on Delilah, since she blatantly ignored him. Excuse me? The way he was so offended by her choice showed just how much of an attention seeker he is, but of course, he wouldn’t admit it.

It seemed like the duelists weren’t the only ones who didn’t appreciate his comment on the Ravenclaws. The moderator who definitely was not a figment of his imagination reminded them that this was not a dating party. If Hanako still wasn’t so distraught over this hallucination being an actual breathing human who saw him during his worst moments, he would’ve found his uncomfortably amusing. Was teasing duel captains against the rules? He would never know because this particular one had an unfortunate history with Hanako and he'll rather be hit by flipendos than talk more than necessary with him.

“ I quite like forbidden romances, though~ “ he shrugged carelessly in response to the unneeded reminder with a knowing glance towards Eun-ji who was beautifully unappreciative of his earlier comment. How icy! He’ll try to melt that cold facade of hers eventually. Either with his adorableness or incendio duos. Whichever comes first.

But perhaps he focused on that particular Ravenclaw a bit too much because not only did he missed, but he also got hit by the other Ravenclaw. Drat. See, this is what he gets for being a sucker for beauty. Will he stop? No. But will he complain about it? Yes.

The foreign urge to compliment Kennedy for her spellcasting grew when a wonderfully casted incendio duo until he realized the sort of spell he was under. No pain but arguably, being in slow motion was painful in its own right. You can’t be cute when you’re moving like a sloth! Drat, these duels were constantly surprising him. Distracting beautiful people in his 1st duel. Evasive pairs in his 2nd. And now this? As much as this was a huge oof on the Slytherins, Hanako couldn’t stop the excitement of whats to come in his duel.

Doing as Strategized

Seeing the tense atmosphere between their opponents, Eun-ji’s appreciation for Del increased tenfold. Yeah, Starlee was definitely a perfect fit for Cassandra, they deserved each other. When it came to Hanako however, Eun-ji wasn’t sure what to make of him yet. Yes he was a mildly infuriating but so far it was not anything that could shake her never-ending patience. I suppose I’ll have to wait and see. She decided as she got ready for her first action.

The first round ended up rather unfortunately for her. Del was amazing, managing to not only cast the impediment jinx but also split it so it hit both of their opponents. Eun-ji on the other hand was quickly greeted by a familiar burning sensation of fire as she was hit by Starlee’s well-aimed Incendio Duo. The Ravenclaw spent huge portion of her first duel on fire but that didn’t make this any easier. She really tried to pay back the second year with the wind jinx but Starlee was faster and her spell missed.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, the raven-haired witch managed to stay somewhat collected. She did flinch every time she saw an open fire for about a month after her first duel but then she realized she could either be a coward about it or make peace with the fact that this spell would become her constant companion now. “Yeah…I guess this is my life now,” She muttered under her breath. Thanks grandma.

Starlee had felt rather satisfied with her response to Tone. He managed to quickly pick up on the fact that Starlee would not be bantering with him for the duration of the match, and she felt very happy with that. This would allow her to focus more on her spellcasting, which, was obviously the focus of a duel. She would offer him a curt "Hmpf." in response to his 'birds of a feather' comment. She honestly didn't have the time to waste this match.

Her steely façade cracked when their moderator interrupted the duel, telling them to stop the 'dating party.' Starlee couldn't help but stifle a laugh at that comment. Now he seemed like the kind of person Starlee would want to be partnered with, not Tone.

And, after that mess of an prologue, the spells were off. Starlee had decided to go with probably what seemed what her signature at this point, good ole' Incendio Duo. It seems she was managing to stay focused despite their dating party, as she landed a well placed hit on her opponent. "Heh..." she muttered, a smirk appearing on her face. She saw Hunt's ventus hurtling toward her, and managed to sidestep, but it was directly into what seemed to be a spell that had split in two. Starlee wracked her brain. She had only ever seen that happen with Ventus, but it seemed this older student had quite the skill in casting. Not only that, but Starlee didn't even recognize what spell it was. She noticed her reaction times were getting slower, almost as if she was trapped in molasses. This was... not good.

She turned to look at Tone, who appeared to be under the same effects as she was, and, worse, he hadn't managed to disarm Stewart like they had planned. She scoffed at him lightly as she turned back to their opponents, taking a deep breath. 'Focus, focus, focus!" she repeated in her head over and over.

Action: Doing as Strategized

@Starlee Kennedy | @Hanako Tone | @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

A smirk arose on her face as she watched one of her favourite things in a duel, watched her spell split in two and hit both of their targets bang on. It was just so satisfying she couldn't help it. Although as Delilah twisted out of the way to avoid Hanako's spell with relative ease, unfortunately, Eun-ji was not so lucky. Delilah hissed through her teeth, she knew the feeling of being set on fire. Wow that was a sentence she never thought she would think of.