9 Sep 2022, 20:53
Hexwizard Pregame
Forward Dated: Friday, Oct 7.
Students arrived mere days before to attend the first task of the Hexwizard Tournament. They would find an invitation on the door of their sleeping quarters this morning inviting them to the Rehearsal Room for a "pre-game advantage." Not everyone wanted to see Hogwarts, a school of freaks and non-wizards win this tournament, so all school less Hogwarts were invited to a demonstration game.
There were a few adults there, if they were planners or merely complicit, one could only guess. The Headmasters and Headmistresses of Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, and Mahoutokoro were standing, talking amongst themselves. The demonstration was to start at 0730, in the early morning hours before the 'lazy' students from Hogwarts caught on a Castelobruxo student would claim if someone was to ask.
Chairs lined the edge of the checkered board and as the time approached, Headmaster Plott would greet those that arrived with a swarmy smile. "Salutations Champions and friends, I am so glad that you could make it," words that seemed to lack a soul or warmth. Perhaps he simply did not mean it, a basic platitude that he had to express.
"Sit, away from edge," they were warned by the headmistress of Mahoutokoro in a heavily accented voice. A rather elegant but stern appearing woman who was dressed beautifully in spite of the early hour. She wore a brown kimono made of fine material, some might wonder how she got the bow so precise on her back. Her long, dark hair pinned up and back from her face in an elaborate knot and secured in piece by long, simple black sticks. She was a woman who cared about how she was perceived by others it would appear.
Students arrived mere days before to attend the first task of the Hexwizard Tournament. They would find an invitation on the door of their sleeping quarters this morning inviting them to the Rehearsal Room for a "pre-game advantage." Not everyone wanted to see Hogwarts, a school of freaks and non-wizards win this tournament, so all school less Hogwarts were invited to a demonstration game.
The Rehearsal Room was cleared out, everything that was in this room could now be found either in the corridor or in nearby open classrooms. A haphazard, hastily done event that likely required substantial muscle because there was a grand piano on its side, wedged-stuck in a door. Students entering the rehearsal room would find a large, open space and a checkered board covering a hardwood floor. There were students (NPCs) from Castelobruxo facing off against one another to perform this demonstration.This is a private thread for members of the Hexwizard Tournament from Koldovstoretz, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, Ilvermorny, and Mahoutokoro. As for Hogwarts, you will be invited later in character to start a brawl or to peacefully hang out after you find out about the demonstration game.
There were a few adults there, if they were planners or merely complicit, one could only guess. The Headmasters and Headmistresses of Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, and Mahoutokoro were standing, talking amongst themselves. The demonstration was to start at 0730, in the early morning hours before the 'lazy' students from Hogwarts caught on a Castelobruxo student would claim if someone was to ask.
Chairs lined the edge of the checkered board and as the time approached, Headmaster Plott would greet those that arrived with a swarmy smile. "Salutations Champions and friends, I am so glad that you could make it," words that seemed to lack a soul or warmth. Perhaps he simply did not mean it, a basic platitude that he had to express.
"Sit, away from edge," they were warned by the headmistress of Mahoutokoro in a heavily accented voice. A rather elegant but stern appearing woman who was dressed beautifully in spite of the early hour. She wore a brown kimono made of fine material, some might wonder how she got the bow so precise on her back. Her long, dark hair pinned up and back from her face in an elaborate knot and secured in piece by long, simple black sticks. She was a woman who cared about how she was perceived by others it would appear.
Last edited by Hjørdis Jensen on 28 Sep 2022, 15:16, edited 1 time in total.
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.
22 Sep 2022, 01:48
Hexwizard Pregame
¤ | Ω | ¤
"Italiano. Italian."
"Russian."
\ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand /
| Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |Florian LeRoy
@Starlee KennedyThere was to be a demonstration of the first task of the Hexwizard tournament to be held in the Rehearsal Room of Hogwarts castle on the 7th; 0730 sharp.
Alright, fine. I was game.
With the first task occurring on the 20th, and the ball just tomorrow night, it only made sense to host a faux rendition of the actual task for the observation of the champions and their teams. It would give them ideas and strategies to work with before the time when they would have to face off against our respective opponents.
Durmstrang's selected opponent was Beauxbatons.
I could not have asked for a better matchup.
You see... I had some research to do, research that happened to vitally include knowledge of Beauxbatons and their past students. In addition to my fifth year homework that would launch me into my next three years at Durmstrang, in addition to my perusal of wandlore and my personal research of wand woods, cores, and the revival of my childhood hobby of whittling... I was on a personal quest, inspired in part most likely because of my falling out with Piérre, but also because I was sick and tired of letting sleeping dogs lie. I wanted answers. Now. And I wanted no more beating about the bush with it.
In my opinion, it was about damn time I figured out where my twin's and my roots actually lie. It was about time that we crack open the mysteries of our previously unknown heritage together and get a few answers. Open the door of that closet and let the skeletons out once and for all. Maybe, just maybe... if I could open the dam up a little bit and get the information flowing more thoroughly, Piérre would finally come to his senses and pick up what I was laying down. Maybe he would finally see reason with me.
Up to this point, I had been piecing ideas together, especially over the course of September before Durmstrang had come to Hogwarts to participate in the Hexwizard Tournament, I had realized rather quickly that based on a few cold, hard facts, at least one of my parents was highly likely to have attended Beauxbatons. These reasons were as follows:As a waitlisted member of the Horntail Horde, a co-captain of the Durmstrang Quidditch team (which had won this last summer and therefore now had a new reputation to uphold)... there had been far too much popularity and media for me as it was. I had rather wanted to keep things quiet, but that had been before I considered the fact that the school that I wanted information from the most was going to be present at nearly any event that Durmstrang was going to be at. Of course I ran the risk of looking suspicious both in front of my own team and in front of any spectators of the event in general...
- Not only had Piérre and I been raised in Italy, we had been discovered there as well. This meant that as children that would eventually unveil magical potential we were either Muggleborns whose parents were most likely native to Italy, or else we had a magical parent who was native to Italy or carried an Italian heritage. Judging by our appearances, I'm willing to bet that we are native Italians and not some sort of strange immigrant type.
- Provided that the above clause is true, then that would mean that there had to be muggle and wizard records alike in civil records or the Italian equivalent of the Ministry of Magic, respectively. This meant that if we could find a name... we could potentially request more information on a persons if we went through the right places.
- Provided that the above clauses are also true together, and if we indeed had a magical parent, the most suspect school that they would have attended would have likely been Beauxbatons, since it is the closest to Italy and is likely multilingual enough to admit those sorts of foreign students. If a record can be found of a student attending there... that's another step in the right direction.
Yet, it was too perfect to pass up, too perfect to let such an opportunity pass by unutilized. If I had a means thrown directly into my lap... who was I to turn it down and lose a ripe opportunity.
I would just have to find an Beauxbatons student who was willing to cooperate, and who knew something that I could learn.
So, I arrived in the rehearsal room, seemingly the first of anyone else who would appear yet, glancing curiously at the enormous chess board set out on the ground and the group of other unfamiliar students lining up; no doubt the demonstrators for this game. I spy my own headmistress, and with a quiet stride out of the way of the main fray, I take a seat in an ample place where I could keep an eye on both the door (to spy the other students file in) and the board itself, so that I could watch the game.
That had been the purpose of this meeting after all, hadn't it? Now I just had to wait for other people to show up.ReducioStats:
Ω Stamina 9 | Strength 15 | Evasion 7 Ω
Ω Wisdom 9 | Accuracy 15 | ArcPower 0 ΩAbilities:
Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω
22 Sep 2022, 07:15
Hexwizard Pregame
Hadashi had been intrigued about this.
A demonstration of the first trial in the Hexwizard Tournament? This would be valuable Intel. Not just on the trial itself, but his opponents.
As was the usual, he'd had to force Aryaan Shamsi to show some damn initiative and responsibility. Going so far as to Full Body Bind Curse him and drag him there by the collar. It truly pained him that the champion representative for Mahoutokoro was someone like Shamsi. Hadashi would have rather ANYONE, including Chikao Narumi, literally ANYONE other than the slacking, low intellect, zero effort producing, troublemaking blight on his school. Every single time Shamsi screwed something up or made a mess, Hadashi had to fix it. Every time he made a scene at another school, Hogwarts mostly, Hadashi had to fix it. More than once, he had thought about trying to persuade Headmistress-sama to just expel him and stop wasting the school's time, but had always decided against it, because there was a chance he could change, and that was a loss of potential.
Headmistress-sama instructed to sit away from the edge, and Hadashi complied. Headmistress-sama was not someone to be defied. A woman whose existence oozed a regal aura, demanding, and more than deserving, respect.
Plott-sama, the Ilvermorny headmaster on the other hand... Hadashi got the impression that this is someone everyone made fun of behind his back. Even in his mind, Hadashi hesitated to give him the sama honorific.
Hadashi noticed as well that there didn't appear to be many people here... Though it had not taken Hadashi long to deduce that this was happening so early in order to prevent the Hogwartsians from having an edge.
Hadashi suspected (correctly, but he does not know for sure) that there were some racial reasons behind this. But whether there were or weren't was inconsequential. This was an advantage he could have, and he was going to take it. And so was Shamsi, if he had to gag the boy and tie him to his seat and force him to watch. He was not going to deal with incompetence out of the leader of the team he was on, let alone the champion representative of Mahoutokoro.
27 Sep 2022, 12:51
Hexwizard Pregame
RPing as iNPC Andy Menton
Andy finally arrived at the Rehearsal Room of Hogwarts Castle. It has been a long journey, all the way from America to Scotland. As a waitlisted member of the Ilvermorny Hexwizard team, Andy has been invited to participate in a demonstration game here in Hogwarts, along with his teammates and the Ilvermorny Champion Miles Thatcher. But he seems to be one of the first people to arrive since there were only several students from other school teams waiting in the Rehearsal Room, whom the shy Thunderbird did not dare to start a chat with. Even the Hogwarts team had not arrived, maybe it could prevent them from having an advantage as the hosting school team. "A demonstration game? Seems to be an interesting idea. I wonder what it is like. Maybe I can meet up with some teammates and get to know my rivals at the game, which can be beneficial." Andy thought at he was waiting for others to come to the rehearsal room and for the demonstration game to be started, "As a waitlisted member, I wonder if I get the chance to play in the game. I hope I do, although I have no idea what the game is about. I believe I can gradually learn more about the game as the game progresses throughout this academic year. I think the Hexwizard Tournament is challenging and dangerous, but I am ready to take on the challenges for Ilvermorny and also for everyone who is supporting us. I hope Ilvermorny could win the Tournament."
Word count: 262
Rita Su - Hufflepuff Andy Menton - Ilvermorny, Thunderbird
Color code: Rita: #560edd Andy: #c40e0e
Rita`s Ency Andy`s Ency Shop
27 Sep 2022, 14:35
Hexwizard Pregame
Miles Thatcher, entering the Rehearsal Room
The Hexwizard Tournament seemed more real than ever. When his name had been called and the stone effigy rose at Hogwarts, it had been some odd surreal dream and while he had been standing there at the dance with Olive Adair, and she herself too heard it, it still didn't process as any sort of actual reality. Nope, it had been some kind of crazy dream.
And yet, so many at Ilvermorny talked about the tournament. And the rare two times he saw his parents over the Summer it was all they talked about. It was a soft presence, lingering in the background.
But now that he was once again back at Hogwarts - back where he had submitted his name and back where his name had been called out, it was real. Now he was up early, heading to the Rehearsal Room within the old castle for a demonstration on the first task. Something told Miles that his being chosen had been a mistake and yet Headmaster Plotts nor anyone else had come up to him to tell him that, so it was still the course of action: Miles Thatcher, Ilvermorny Champion.
Hopefully he wouldn't make a downright fool of himself.
He entered, seeing the Headmaster with all the other Headmasters and the few others that were in the room already. He presented them with a smile and walked over toward the only other Ilvermorny student, so far. "Good Morning, Menton," he said to Andy (@Rita Su).
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
28 Sep 2022, 15:15
Hexwizard Pregame
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|
Going to the front to have as good of a view as possible, pushing people aside if need be, Yefim would track the movements carefully and analyze the choices, options, and strategies on display. He had won his chess dueling match a few summers ago, and could see the slight similarities there, but would quickly realize there was much greater complexity in this game. There were so many more people to keep track of, so many avenues for a threat, and so many options that predicting an opponent's move would be a staggering feat.
No matter, fate was on his side. Obviously his team would win regardless. They were destined to, and wanted it more than anyone. If their teamwork and superior training and skill were not enough, surely his godly eminence would suffice. Peering over, he noticed Romeo was there as well, waving to him to see if he wanted to come over. Perhaps they could talk, and his brilliant strategic mind would help him deliberate between what moves were more clutch, and where the ticks and traps lie on the chess board.
Not expecting much more from the day besides rigrous study, he would be in a light-hearted mood, smiling pleasantly, a glint in his eye that foretold of the destruction to come once he has mastered this game. Once he turned around, he recognized the Ilvermorney champion in the crowd, but would not bother him... yet.
@Piérre Marchonné (as Romeo Marchonné)
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
29 Sep 2022, 11:26
Hexwizard Pregame
RPing as iNPC Andy Menton
Andy understood the Hexwizard tournament is a huge event. Everyone was looking forward to this: the Hexwizard team members could not wait to take on challenges and compete with other teams for the glory of their school, and the other students in the magical schools could not wait to see how their school champions and team member are performing in the tournament, and the parents of the members were proud to see their children representing the school to compete in the tournament. Andy had not told his parents about the tournament, but he was sure that despite worrying about his safety, his parents would be proud of him when they knew that, even boasting to other wizards about having their boy representing the school they used to attend, which may make him uncomfortable being a shy boy. He definitely would try his best in the tournament if he had a chance to participate, and hopefully, he won`t let the whole team down and make his schoolmates and parents feel disappointed.
While thinking about this, Andy noticed the Ilvermorny Champion, Miles Thatcher, had arrived at the rehearsal room, and said good morning to him, addressing him again by his last name. Andy remembered seeing Miles in person and chatting to Miles for the first time during the welcome feast when students from other schools arrived at Hogwarts for the first time in this school year for the ball and the first Hexwizard game two days ago. The shy Thunderbird was more comfortable talkin to Miles this time, although he was still a bit nervous. Andy decided to approach Miles, and respond to him, "Morning, Miles. Congratulations on becoming the Champion, sorry I was too shy to say it last time."
Word count: 290
@Simon Kincaid as iNPC Miles Thatcher
Rita Su - Hufflepuff Andy Menton - Ilvermorny, Thunderbird
Color code: Rita: #560edd Andy: #c40e0e
Rita`s Ency Andy`s Ency Shop
1 Oct 2022, 20:03
Hexwizard Pregame
Valentin took in a deep breath and launched himself through the doors of the rehearsal room. Speeding towards the chessboard at 7:32, the boy silently berated himself for arriving late. All while other people were having dinner, Valya had gotten possessed, obsessively mashing keys on a piano he’d found in the 5th floor music classroom. There was a particular composition he needed to resolve, and the mere sight of the black and white keys determined his fate. Eyes glancing over the alternating light and dark of the giant chessboard, Valentin’s mind began to imagine their squares lengthening and rearranging into a playable instrument. The early bars of his piece played out as he stared at the board, as if each square glowed blue when its time arrived. All too soon, though, he became stuck again, unable to find the right note to continue on. Raising one hand in a high claw and sliding his left to the side as if playing a chord, Valya’s face twisted. His fingers curled and unkinked and spread out again as his nostrils flared, desperate for the answer. Show me the path forward. What is it? What is his nature, where do we go? These ways are all wrong… My ways… Blowing out a puff of air, Valentin half-snarled. The seeker was still mad at himself for trapping Romeo with that promise to Charles, forcing the wrong tempo onto the Italian. I was a fool to think… but no, it was important to return the sword. I should have done that long ago…Durmstrang 5th year, Valentin Schnell
Valentin’s fist balled up and he brought down his right hand as if to slam the white and black “keys” of the distant chess board. I should have sacrificed the dare, I should have… Should I have waited…? I should have waited…? But now Romeo is free. He can stop being the aegis. He can be anything he wants, and he has his sword again. He is… even free of me. That was the right note, even if I don’t know the next one…
Wracked with guilt and pain, Valentin grabbed his own long hair with both hands and tugged. The white mane just kept growing, as unabated as the boy’s love for Romeo. The longer he attempted to let the Italian go, the more often Valentin heard the music surging through his head in waves, compelling him to stay close to the boy. The more Valya tried to justify pushing him away, the louder the music grew. This one damn piece, so beautiful, is calling to me, needing me to show it the way home, thought Valya. At its loudest, Valya thought that others must be hearing the melody, too, but whenever he looked around it was clearly all in his head. The piece was a representation, only, at this stage. The most it could be before its completion was Romeo’s melodic simulacrum. The seeker just prayed he would find the answer before it was too late.
„Пиздец“ Damn it, cursed Valentin under his breath. Ever more maddened by the persistence of the calling, such moments of acting strange in public were growing more frequent. Pulling his hands through his hair over and over, Valentin gritted his teeth. For the average onlooker, it might seem the pale seeker was anxious about the chess game. Anyone who really watched Valya would have seen this manic stress recurring in completely unrelated situations. Only the rarest individual would recognize that Valentin was, unknowingly, reenacting the same behaviors as his father. Dropping his arms to the side, Valentin spun on his heel to march away from the chessboard. His fingers still flared in waves as he chose a random direction to fixate his gaze on-- anything other than the black and white. He wanted notes between the notes. It was wrong otherwise, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it? How could a piano be wrong? Why was he wrong? Why couldn’t he be… why couldn’t he be…
The boy narrowly avoided plowing directly into Romeo, who had been talking to Yefim about tactics. As Valya looked up, his eyes locked with Mediterranean cerulean that blew through him like a balmy sea breeze. The Italian’s features softened, and with them, the crinkles of tension on Valya’s face melted away. The seeker opened his mouth as if to speak, and with an uncanny buzzing in his chest, Valentin felt a musical note emerge inside him: a tone between two semitones, a note that could not emerge from a well-tuned piano. With a flash, he remembered hearing it the first time he’d met the wartorn orphan of a piano that he took home at the age of five. This was exactly the quarter tone the boy had played over and over when he fell in love with that piano. The note had been lost to the boy for a decade now, since Valentin’s father, Hugo, had gotten the instrument tuned when it first arrived at the Schnell Estate. Valentin’s mouth still open, his head angled to the side in fascination. Not daring to blink, the boy’s silver-violet eyes stared on and on into the other boy’s eyes for as long as the hold remained.
Reducio
Minor Romeo godmod made in conjunction with his author
Stats: STA 8 ✦ EVA 14 ✧ STR 2 ✦ WIS 15 ✧ARC 1 ✦ ACC 15 - Ency
Abilities: Keen Eye ✦ Charmer ✧ Evasive Maneuvers ✦ Fearless
11 Oct 2022, 20:48
Hexwizard Pregame
Romeo Marchonné @Piérre Marchonné
Open to Interactions
Bolded Text: French | Regular Text: English | Color: #BF4040
Outfit: Beaxubaton Male Uniform
Ever since the summer events, Florian had put his training into overdrive. He had been completely displeased with what he considered his utter failure during the triathlon, so much so that his winning of not just his team during the Capture the Jolly Roger event, but also winning third for most points couldn't seem to jostle him from his innermost thought of failure. Heck, not even winning the quidditch match could rouse him from his dejection, and his catching of the snitch simply had to be one of the fastest that Hogwarts had ever witnessed. He chalked both of those wins due to the other schools incompetency of course, and the fact that he had been on a team. When it came to performing alone, it was apparent that he simply couldn't stand up to his peers.
Florian wasn't going to allow this to continue on, and so after he returned from the summer camp, he put a new training plan into action. He wasn't going to be the weak link in their Hexwizard team, he simply couldn't allow it. He would wake early to go on runs, climb things, heck, whatever he could to get his endurance to a better level. He couldn't afford to flail around like he had during the triathlon. His afternoons after classes he would spend out on his broom, training for any sort of situation he could think of, specifically taking from his research of the former Triwizard Tournament.
Now that he was finally at Hogwarts, he was beginning to feel more prepared. He wasn't sure for what exactly, but he felt like he was ready. That certainly didn't mean he would stop his training, however, and the boy continued to wake up early. Today would be different though, for when he left their lodging he would stumble across a note which mentioned a demonstration of what the first task would be. Well, that was something Florian certainly wouldn't be missing. Instead of his run, he was off to the Rehearsal room to see just what the first task would be.
Upon arrival, he would notice his headmaster there, alongside what would appear to be some of the headmasters from other schools, his own headmaster included. Florian would then survey the students that had arrived. He would want to take note specifically of the Durmstrang students, as they would be their rival for the upcoming task. It was clear upon his survey that a few of the Durmstrang students were there, as he recognized some from the Summer Broom Race. Beauxbaton had won, of course, so could these Durmstrang students really prove to be difficult here?
Florian would continue to look at the group, analyzing them. Deciding if any might be a possible threat. As he did so, he would take a seat somewhat near the Durmstrang's, hoping possibly to eavesdrop on any noteworthy information before the demonstration began or before his teammates joined him.
Reducio
Stats:
Sta: 6 | Eva: 9 | Str: 5 | Wis: 10 | Arc: 5 | Acc: 12
Abilities:
Foulplay | Evasive Manuvers | Fearless
Stats:
Sta: 6 | Eva: 9 | Str: 5 | Wis: 10 | Arc: 5 | Acc: 12
Abilities:
Foulplay | Evasive Manuvers | Fearless
"And the more hurt she gets, the more venomous she grows." - Emily Brontë
Abilities: Healing Sage | Comprehend Language (Parseltongue) | Advanced Casting
Hex: #408000
Abilities: Healing Sage | Comprehend Language (Parseltongue) | Advanced Casting
Hex: #408000
3 Nov 2022, 03:45
Hexwizard Pregame
¤ | Ω | ¤
"Italiano. Italian."
"Russian."
\ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand /
| Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |Florian LeRoy, Yefim Rumyantsev & Valentin Schnell
@Starlee Kennedy, @Flash Holmwood & @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama EllwoodGradually, people began to trickle in, some seemingly more willing than others, and as I watched and waited I began to sort students belonging to the other schools in my head, trying to determine whom was who, and what schools at least appeared to be marginally interested in attending this vital demonstration. So few people were here…
Well… it seemed that they simply didn’t want to put in the effort necessary to learn and thereby win the Tournament, I supposed. That was their loss. As for Durmstrang, we worked hard, studied hard, learned quickly, and actively put our knowledge to the test in order to challenge both body and soul. We did not retain surface knowledge. Not when there was so much more to be gained by digging deeper than the surface in order to turn up the more intriguing and deeper meanings of our educations and the very nature of magic itself. This, I believed, was the downfall of Hogwarts in particular. It had no specialization. It taught general knowledge, but did not dedicate itself to one occupation. Separating its children into four houses, uncalled for competition and segregation, as well as bias and taboo, were present where there should normally have been none. There was nothing wrong with permitting half breeds to have an education, in fact I was quite for it. However… even I had to admit that… well… there was something simply strange about this school. Eerie, almost.
The uncanny sensation certainly did not help when champion Yefim entered the room, carrying with him the command of power and chilling authority. There was a reason that he had been selected as champion. He commandeered a room the moment he step foot in it. Everyone knew when he entered, everybody knew when he left. His charisma was incredible, even if his methods were… flawed, to say the least. Not even I could argue with the results, however, and our team had quickly become strong and bonded; unbreakable and stern in the face of danger and threat. We knew each other and our strengths and weaknesses alike. We played off one another as effortlessly as any Quidditch team. Our strong players backed our lithe ones, and those lithe ones distracted and frustrated our enemies no matter from what direction that came.
To my surprise, he waves me over, and with a start of unexpectedness, I hesitate only for a second before drifting over to his side with my arms casually crossed and with a small smile. "Morning, Champion." I greet him amicably, taking note of the smile that he wore as well. Usually one may have noticed a glint of something near menace in the way that his lips curved, some sort of confidence that indicated the air of an individual who was more than aware of their abilities and their status among their common fellows... but this was... a delightful change. "I'm surprised that so few people have shown up. They must not be willing to put in effort to win, hm?" I ask. Not anything like Durmstrang students. We put in more than effort; we gave our all.
I nod towards the game. "I'm curious to see if the game has similar rules to actual chess... magic and all..." Indeed, if this was normal chess, I could already point out errors that were present as both teams clashed. Maneuvers that left the team too open and spread out, making easy targets. Indeed, their champion was "castled" quickly and isolated as far away from the fight as possible. This made it incredibly easy for the others to close in and flank on both sides. I shake my head. "Tsk. There it is. They abandoned their champion. See how the opposing team is collected around their champion? Not only are they buffing their companions, but they are also able to shield him from opposing attacks. Depending on who is playing what piece, a similar idea would not be a bad idea." I stroke my chin thoughtfully as I closed my eyes. "That being said, the evasion game is also a very viable choice... it just wasn't well executed in this case."
A white blur hurtled our way, and I glance over just in time to spot Valetin nearly storm directly into us. "Ach! Val! So good of you to join us. I'd like your input on the plays as well." I greet him as well, with a broad smile and a shifting of my weight to my other foot. "While everyone else sleeps, we are here learning and taking advantage of their laziness." I indicate to the sparse number of people about. A pity. Perhaps we would not have as great a fight as I hoped we would. With Durmstrang's martial prowess and strategical mind, our game would surely only take a few turns before victory was assured. "Only a few days until the debut." I have to remind myself that I would not be standing up there with them... at least... not if everyone else was in fit enough condition to take the stage themselves. Not that I minded... I was content to play support. Perhaps I was better in that role anyways.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a Beauxbaton uniform... a champion? A player?
No matter. Beauxbatons champion or player, I didn't mind. Here was a potential source for me to ask my questions to. Perhaps he would feel the intensity of my gaze at them for a few seconds before I diverted my gaze back to the board again.
But not yet. I still had to complete the game and help with Durmstrang's wellbeing first. Pulling my attention back from the newcomer, I continue to watch as the teams were chipped away piecemeal by piecemeal... until the white champion knight was finally taken down.
I sigh. "See? Don't abandon the champion. The Knight is a very strong piece... but they are helpless without anyone around. They gathered everyone around the King, which increased their damage and attack output, and naturally..." I whistle as I depict with a hand falling like a plane crashing to the ground. "Down go the dominoes of damage... and that's the game." I nod slowly, the gears already turning in my head just like I would during any Quidditch game on the fly; every piece was important, every maneuver had a significance. If no movement had a purpose... then what was the point of taking any play at all? "Naturally, I would suggest..." I began to share some of my thoughts, inviting Valetin to chime in as well.
When I sensed that Valetin was able to take up the bulk of the conversation, I would politely bow out. "Pardon me, I'll be back." Another small smile and I quietly strode over to the powder blue coattailed uniform in my own scarlet red one. I was obviously of the Durmstrangian school, I was making no attempt to hide that fact.
Slouching my shoulders forward a tad to make my height less evident and intimidating (a 14 year old at 6 feet was an unusual sight for many), I gently put my hand behind my back and nodded to him. "Good morning." Flawless English, yet another strange thing about a seemingly Russia-originating student... and was that a tinge of exotic Mediterranean accent? I glance around, looking for any other Beauxbatons students... He looked to be the only one, at least so far. "Is Scotland treating you well away from home?" Open with polite conversation. "Mm! Romeo Marchonné, Durmstrang... But you could probably guess that by the uniform." I offer a handshake and continue to smile softly. "Quite a performance... An interesting spin on the game."
Hopefully... I wasn't coming off as too brash or strong... I couldn't chase off my first lead so soon...ReducioStats:
Ω Stamina 9 | Strength 15 | Evasion 7 Ω
Ω Wisdom 9 | Accuracy 15 | ArcPower 0 ΩAbilities:
Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω
