14 Aug 2022, 07:22
A Practice, A Duel
@Finnegan Conner
forward dated to mid September, 2022
Lea was- a third year now. And no longer a part of dueling. It hadn't been a conscious decision to leave, but the girl had slowly disappeared from sight as she grew frustrated and unmotivated. For someone who had cared so much about getting ahead, Lea had started falling behind at the end of her second yet.
Now, she was more frustrated but far more motivated. Strange how it had changed, a difference noticeable to professors yet likely not other students. It was this newfound motivation that brought her to the dueling club room, a perfect place to practice spells and let out frustrations on the dummies. She would still have to catch up from her falling behind last year, but the hope was that practice would be enough. "Obscuro!" An arm extended towards the dummy, hand forming the knotted loop as the fabric flew through the sky and latched onto the target. But targeting unmoving objects was not nearly as enjoyable as the sport of dueling.
Brown eyes glanced around the room, finding the unfortunate victim that was a young Gryffindor attempting to learn the disarming spell. That was second year magic, determining that to be an even match- a third year and a second? Seemed fair enough. The hufflepuff walked over, grabbing their attention with a wave- or if necessary, a tap on the shoulder- before petitioning, "Would you like to duel? We could both practice and I can help you with the spell you're learning." Despite the new change of frustration, Lea still held hesitation in her words similar to her first and second year self. While she might have been frustrated, it was clear that she wasn't fully confident.
| Lea Hirsch - Hufflepuff Duelling Sta: 7 | Eva: 17 | Str: 0 | Wis: 12 | Pow: 10 | Acc: 15 |
Sta: 11 | Eva: 13 | Str: 13 | Wis: 4 | Pow: 0 | Acc: 20 Beauxbatons Quidditch - Katherine 'Kit' Felix |
14 Aug 2022, 17:37
A Practice, A Duel
If he had known about the Duelling Club, he wouldn't have bothered learning the disarming spell in secret. The sound of cracks and bangs reverberating down the hallway had drawn his curiosity, and after he'd skim-read the rules outside the heavy oak doors, he entered the practicing space with a stunned look.
Hundreds of candles floated above, illuminating the room in a soft yellow haze. Wheeled dummies lined the wall, and several people were practicing their spellwork on them with varying degrees of success. Someone tried to shrink the dummy but had accidentally transformed it into a stone pillar that threatened to topple and crush anyone below it before another student blasted it to smithereens with a well-aimed Reducto!
A stray spell whizzed past his ears and fizzled out against the enchanted wall. When he turned to look who had tried to jinx him, a plumb-looking Hufflepuff waved at him and offered a quick apology. Why had no one told him about this room before? It was brilliant!
He was just getting into the swing of disarming one of the dummies when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Despite seeming older, the girl was exactly his height, though she could perhaps outdo him if she slumped a little less. She sounded a little unsure of herself, and the way her brown eyes darted around restlessly made it seem like she was expecting to be attacked from behind any moment.
"Oh, uhm," Finnegan scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure I should, I don't know that many spells and," he lowered his voice so none of the supervisors would hear, "I don't know all the rules."
Hundreds of candles floated above, illuminating the room in a soft yellow haze. Wheeled dummies lined the wall, and several people were practicing their spellwork on them with varying degrees of success. Someone tried to shrink the dummy but had accidentally transformed it into a stone pillar that threatened to topple and crush anyone below it before another student blasted it to smithereens with a well-aimed Reducto!
A stray spell whizzed past his ears and fizzled out against the enchanted wall. When he turned to look who had tried to jinx him, a plumb-looking Hufflepuff waved at him and offered a quick apology. Why had no one told him about this room before? It was brilliant!
He was just getting into the swing of disarming one of the dummies when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Despite seeming older, the girl was exactly his height, though she could perhaps outdo him if she slumped a little less. She sounded a little unsure of herself, and the way her brown eyes darted around restlessly made it seem like she was expecting to be attacked from behind any moment.
"Oh, uhm," Finnegan scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure I should, I don't know that many spells and," he lowered his voice so none of the supervisors would hear, "I don't know all the rules."
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio
21 Aug 2022, 08:00
A Practice, A Duel
@Finnegan Conner
Not knowing that many spells and practicing the disarming charm did not go hand in hand. It was clear the third year didn't quite buy it, a raised eyebrow as she watched the boy. He didn't seem to be lying- scratching seemed more like a nervous habit more than anything else- but the words still felt strange as she was reminded of her own first year. The whispered confession, though, seemed to relax her a bit, a sigh escaping as she quickly let go of her suspicion.
"You- you'll do fine. I barely knew a couple of spells and yet I got to be a part of the dueling team." Never mind what the said about the dueling team, she was quite proud of the group and would happily support them even if now on the sidelines. "This is just practice, it doesn't have to be good or... fancy." There, one concern done. Brown eyes shifted from their meandering gaze to a focus point in the middle of nowhere as she thought. It wouldn't take too long for her to find something to say, but she wouldn't help during the time in between if the silence grew too much.
"I can teach them as we go, then. Main ones, it's all spells- no punching or the like. We stay on opposite sides. And- first to get knocked out or to tap out loses." It was a good thing the hospital wing was only a floor below, unsure how he would feel about getting knocked out or knocking someone else on his first attempts. "Now that your concerns have been addressed- would you like to duel or no?" It seemed far more straight-forward options would help him make a decision and help her determine whether she had wasted her time or not.
| Lea Hirsch - Hufflepuff Duelling Sta: 7 | Eva: 17 | Str: 0 | Wis: 12 | Pow: 10 | Acc: 15 |
Sta: 11 | Eva: 13 | Str: 13 | Wis: 4 | Pow: 0 | Acc: 20 Beauxbatons Quidditch - Katherine 'Kit' Felix |
28 Aug 2022, 21:26
A Practice, A Duel
Though he would never admit it, Finnegan was relieved to hear there was no punching involved. His father had tried to make him join a martial arts club before magic had relieved him of that duty. It had hurt his pride just a little to have his father suggest such a thing, even though he knew he was puny. That was what he liked most about magic; he didn't need to be strong to send someone sailing through the air; he just had to get the wand movement and incantation right.
Easier said than done, he thought to himself.
Despite her attempts to make him feel at ease, the revelation that she was part of the dueling team only made him feel worse about his chances. The prospect of getting knocked out wasn't too alluring either, but he wasn't about to chicken out; his pride couldn't stomach turning down a direct challenge. Besides, it'd be much better to practice the disarming chant on an actual person, something that wasn't standing perfectly still.
"Alright, I'll do it." No sooner than he'd accepted, a wave of doubts washed over him. "Just, don't turn me into a frog, please, or a snail - I hate snails, frankly don't turn me into anything else, okay? One of my dormmates tried turning a football into a pufferfish, it's round and has scales now, but he couldn't turn it back. I'd rather not have frog skin for the rest of my life," he added with a faint smile.
He waited for the girl to take the lead and show him where (and how) to stand. Once they were up on the stage, he spoke up again. "I'm Finnegan," he said with a curt nod. "What's your name?"
Easier said than done, he thought to himself.
Despite her attempts to make him feel at ease, the revelation that she was part of the dueling team only made him feel worse about his chances. The prospect of getting knocked out wasn't too alluring either, but he wasn't about to chicken out; his pride couldn't stomach turning down a direct challenge. Besides, it'd be much better to practice the disarming chant on an actual person, something that wasn't standing perfectly still.
"Alright, I'll do it." No sooner than he'd accepted, a wave of doubts washed over him. "Just, don't turn me into a frog, please, or a snail - I hate snails, frankly don't turn me into anything else, okay? One of my dormmates tried turning a football into a pufferfish, it's round and has scales now, but he couldn't turn it back. I'd rather not have frog skin for the rest of my life," he added with a faint smile.
He waited for the girl to take the lead and show him where (and how) to stand. Once they were up on the stage, he spoke up again. "I'm Finnegan," he said with a curt nod. "What's your name?"
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio
11 Sep 2022, 07:25
A Practice, A Duel
@Finnegan Conner
She would simply watch as he figured out his thoughts, a blank expression as she started to glance about the rest of the space. Finally he accepted the challenge, and a smile flashed across her face. "There's always professors around to help undo spells," she offered. "But I won't turn you into a frog or snail. Or anything else. Charms are my preferred spells, not transfiguration." Having said that, she hadn't much used her good understanding of charms to get herself ahead. More just to have an easier class. Perhaps not the best choice.
She would guide him through the set up of a duel, offering a couple of different stances to choose from before beginning to move towards her side. But the hufflepuff was stopped by his introduction, blinking as the third year now knew the step she missed. "Oh. I'm Lea. It- it's nice to meet you, Finnegan." She returned the nod, hesitating on where to go before deciding on asking him. "Are you ready?" If he said yes, the teen moved towards her side of the stage, preparing herself as well. When she felt ready and light on her feet, Lea called out, "Final chance: y-you can count down our duel start or leave." Yes, Lea could technically start the count but it felt like an additional advantage that made more sense given to the least experienced person here duelling-wise.
ooc: sorry for the wait!
| Lea Hirsch - Hufflepuff Duelling Sta: 7 | Eva: 17 | Str: 0 | Wis: 12 | Pow: 10 | Acc: 15 |
Sta: 11 | Eva: 13 | Str: 13 | Wis: 4 | Pow: 0 | Acc: 20 Beauxbatons Quidditch - Katherine 'Kit' Felix |