Hexwizard Spectators Thread

George straightened up as though he'd been pricked with a needle, his head quickly turning to look at Alec over his shoulder. While he wasn't pleased to be crept up on, there were few he considered as harmless as Alec. The relief of recognition was quickly washed away as the sight of Alec's lips dawned on him fully. George's jaw dropped, barely listening to the other boy's speech. "You- your face," he murmured breathlessly, reaching up to touch his own lips. "Doesn't it hurt...?"

He could faintly hear the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. The general tension of the Hexwizard was compounded by the perceived betrayal by Alan and the state of Alec's face. The Hufflepuff covered his face, hiding behind his hands for a moment and tucking his chin close to his chest, just trying to escape it all for a moment.

That's enough, George thought, dragging his hands down his face as an ice-cold wave of emotion washed over him. He couldn't bear to look at Alec, so he wouldn't his eyes instead locked on the board where all of Hogwarts' competitors were now dressed up as chess pieces. Perhaps it was Falentra back then, but it seemed like there had been a change of plans along the way, as Alan appeared to be the special person on the Hexwizard team. Having suffered several breakdowns over the Summer, George was now quite adept at suppressing tears, though it took a strong will.

"Did you see that? Howard just winked at Alan," George hissed, not taking his eyes off of the pair of sixth-years. Alec might notice George's fine clothes seeming a bit tighter as the boy's whole body tensed, taking in deep, slow breaths through his chest. When Alan looked out into the crowd to wave, he would get no response, despite the badger's intent gaze clearly being locked on the Gryffindor prefect. "He's lucky we're in the middle of the Hexwizard or I'd be out on that chessboard giving him a piece of my mind... jerk..."

Maybe Alec would think he was making everything with Alan up in his head, and he was starting to have doubts himself. Clearly he was wrong when he thought he might be a special person to Alan. The older boy had never winked at George. He only blinked, like a cow, oblivious to the cues he had been giving off. So infuriatingly innocent. Of course, George remembered a lesson that Professor Wickham-Deakin had taught him. There was no point fretting over Alan, or Alec's lips, or anything else he could not change.

He would just need to bide his time and wait for the right time to act. He could think of a few changes he'd like to make to both of their faces, right about now.

"...We'll win. Look at the Koldovstoretz team... well, Kolya looks cute," George said, focusing on the positive as he indicated Nikolai the knight. "But he's like ten so he's about to get trounced by the best wizards at Hogwarts... plus a few Slytherins."

Interacting with @Alec Mason, @Alan Vanes
Mentioning @Avery McCall's inpc

Bailey had sent Kim an owls saying she wanted to drag him to the first Hexwizard tournament. He has send an owl back saying that he’s love to, as long as it was just the two of them. Bailey smiled when she read it. Of course it would jus the the two of them! Who did he think she was.
though… she thought I do have a fair about of friends, so … but he has a ton of friends too!! I mean we’re both practically in every single club, and then he does dueling too!
Settling down and ignoring her racing mind, Bailey went to sleep.
The next day, she dragged Kim to the almost festival that the event had turned into.
When she first came upon Kim he will inclined his head, and greeted her with his traditional ‘yo’. A faint smile graced his lips, and Bailey grinned back at him. She heard Puffie squeak a greeting to her, and she grinned wider. Of course Kim had brought his pet. Puffie went everywhere Kim went it seemed.
As they entered the crowds, Bailey felt Kim’s arm tense. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him away from the crowds and they found seats. They sat down and she thanked him again for coming. Munching on the popcorn, she heard his voice and glanced up in time to see his lips curve into a faint smile.
Bailey had come to adore that smile- he was adorable, and she knew that they were genuine, at least when they were directed at her.
That should be my line. she heard Kim say under his breath. She smiled, looking back at her butterbeer.
She rummaged through her bag and found the marshmallow biscuits. He smirked at her, pointing out how she always came with or ate sweet things. She grinned, smirking back at him.
“That’s because I know you brings more savory dishes- and I have to balance that out. Plus I love sweets- and all desserts to be honest.”
Kim asked if she wanted a hotdog, hamburger or both. Baileys stomach growled, and she grinned. “I could go for either- what about you?”
She thought one of us should probably save our seats- I should probably get the food. Or would Kim rather do that and have me stay here… I’ll see what he says.
Bailey rummaged through her bag pulling out more gold, to pay for the food. It was her treat, she was determined to pay for everything since she was the one dragging Kim along.

Interactions are strongly encouraged, I live for drama!

Alec had approached @George Henry with innocent intent. The least he could do while he was here was make him time continue to be worthwhile by spending it with a friend. However when he approached George the other didn't seem to pleased, and not because hadn't realized it was Alec. The Hufflepuff looked worried the second he spotted Alec's lips. Alec wanted to back away, not wanting to have a conversation on his lips once-over, but he didn't, and all George did was ask of Alec's face. Alec's eyebrows furrowed his face? Last time he checked there was nothing wrong with his entire face. “My lips?” Alec questioned to clarify. George asked if it hurt. Alec shook his head, “no, not really, it feels a little weird but that's all.” Alec spoke. George went on to cover his face and Alec frowned. “George... You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.” If Alec needed to deal with his lips he would, but it was fine for now, he wasn't worried. It looked but it hadn't caused him any trouble yet. Alec was okay.

George locked eyes with the board. Alec couldn't quite tell why the other was upset this time. There was no way it only had to do with Alec. Then George brought of Howard in relation to Alan, and it became fairly obvious. Alec needed obvious hint to get what was going on in George's head. The other boy hissed out something about Howard winking at Alan. Uh- that was a venomous tone... When did George become a snake? Alec would have commented, but he noticed the way George tensed and thought better of it. Alec reached to put a hand on George's shoulder and comfortingly squeeze it. Despite Alec's attempt to help George continued on and muttered about giving Howard a piece of his mind. It was Alec's turn to be concerned.

Alec's eyebrows furrowed and he eyed George with a worried like. The other finally answered his question about who would win but Alec's concerns didn't lie in who would win anymore. George talked about someone pointing out they looked cute. He pointed to another and said they were a ten but about to get trounced by the Hogwarts team. Alec glanced to where George was pointing each time and nodded, slowly. “yeah okay Kolya is cute, the other one is ten but um... George, are you- are you alright?” He looked like he was just about to have a breakdown and Alec didn't know if he was the only one who could see that coming off of George. The Hexwizard event seemed less important than whatever internal battle George was currently facing.

Reducio

Trunk Link
Stats
Stamina: 9(900/900) || Evasion: 9 || Strength: 7 || Wisdom : 8 || Arcane Power: 10 || Accuracy: 12
Abilities
Evasive Maneuvers || Advanced Casting || Perfectionist || Wandmaker(Phoenix Feather)
Inventory: Wand

Side note: Alec has made no effort to hide the ways his lips look. His lips were strangely dark with darker lines extending from his mouth, It resembles the curse that students had in the past. In other words, Alec has some funky looking lips rn feel free to bully him about it. He's still not going to the nurse because the nurse was mean the last time they interacted.

"Hexwizard first task is taking place soon in the ball room? I`m gonna watch it! Although I know I am still too young to participate in such a risky tournament, it must be interesting to watch the participants playing it! I`m gonna cheer for Hogwarts, and I believe Hogwarts will beat other schools!" Rita thought with excitment when she heard she could spectate the first task of the Hexwizard tournament and without second thinking, she ran to the ball room and could wait to watch the tournament.

When she arrived at the ball room, she found there were a big human-side chess set. "They are going to play chess? It must be very interesting to watch!" She thought and looked around to find out many familiar faces. There were of course Bailey and Kim, Colin and Clair, her friend Irina, and Alec, she remembered organizing the bottle spinning event at the beginning of the school year. "Hi, you all! Hope you are all having a great day! I cannot wait to watch the Hexwizard tournament!" Rita waved to those she was familiar to.

Rita then realized there was something not quite right with Alec`s lips. His lips looked dark. There were also some dark lines that extended from his mouth. She walked closer to him, and asked him with sympathy, "Are you OK, Alec? What happened to your lips? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"
Word count: 239
Interacting with: @Alec Mason
Mentioning: @Kim Sato @Bailey Glade @Colin McCoire @Clair Fernandez @Irina Sousa

Open to Interactions!

Roleplaying as: Agata Ríos Matos
Languages: Spanish - #e62719 English - #195ee6
Interacting with: @Nicholas McCowan as Raul Correa, @Alec Mason, @George Henry
Open to other interactions

The spectators area was starting to fill up. Mostly Hogwarts students, if Agata guessed correctly. It was funny how she could tell which school each student was from, just by looking at them. She grinned slightly. Their respective t-shirts helped a bit too. She watched from the corner of her eye as two Hogwarts students @Alec Mason @George Henry seemed to be having some sort of breakdown. One boy looked absolutely frightful, his lips dark black with lines crossing outwards. Some sort of dark magic was at play. The other looked frightened, but not of the boy, of what was happening below. She glanced down in the direction he was looking, and saw the Hogwarts match. It made sense, Hogwarts with Hogwarts and Agata, not wishing to participate unless called upon, decided to leave the Hogwarts students and their dark mess to themselves.

She nodded at Raul's response, continuing their conversation. "We should get another chance next time. I'm sure." Her gaze flicked across the stands at his media comment, noticing that there were many representatives from all over the world, well she gathered anyway. She'd heard the commotion earlier about the half-goblin being led away, but not knowing what to expect and not exactly having a team to cheer on, Agata had ignored it. "You're right. I'm sure more schools will be invited next time." She had to rack her brain on the school he had mentioned, finally realising that it was the African school. They too, taught magic differently to the European lot, and Agata felt a pang at them not being invited.

About to make another comment, she let out a gasp as the upcoming students below transformed, across all three boards. It was wizards chess come to life. Raul seemed to have the same reaction, letting out an exclamation. She snickered at his sass, side-eyeing him and letting out a smile. As the games continued into the first set of moves, Agata was surprised, and not, by the aggressiveness of the players. Her main interest was the Durmstrang match, and she watched as the spells and movements were performed. None though, especially from the Durmstrang side, went down though, which Agata internally snarked over.

Thomas entered the ballroom twenty minutes into the first event, in line with his reputation to hold little regard for the school's public events. Not planned tardiness, preparation for the afternoon required to sacrifice the majority of the first task's duration, likely sparing himself a series of yawns anyhow. Like with any public appearance, the boy held an agenda for this afternoon. To make his bread, and eat it too.

Howard White had done well for himself, representing Hogwarts and handpicking a team of capable wizards and witches alike. While Thomas would not publicly admit it, he likened the boy to come away with a victory by the event's end. Speaking of the array, the most amusing of selections was Serena Towers. A girl Thomas had fun toying in front of Falentra Black a year ago, then taking Howard's "girl" to the ball following their fallout. How he desperately hoped for them to be a romantic item after the games, if so the boy may have a future in casting on the bachelor.

Dulling his future career as a love guru was the series of scars and impaired limbs to show for it. Some say the boy always walked a bit funny, but in truth is was due to the collection of injuries from his hockey playing days. A more prevalent cause? Howard's fists. Yet with time, tensions between the boys have dulled following a detention where Thomas witnessed Howard's boggart and source of pain. Not to imply Thomas Lestrange has the capacity for empathy, but on that day he felt guilt for his attacks.

Given the history, Thomas would still play up to the rivalry. Coming across a fandom section where students could purchase t-shirts to demonstrate pride. Thomas used this opportunity to display his lack of investment in his school's victory, purchasing a Durmstrang pride shirt with the esteemed representative. Ironically, a student Thomas has encountered before, an interaction that left both Yefim and Thomas knocked out cold by... guess who?

Thomas would find a place among the stands, unapologetically removing the t-shirt he wore and exposing the poor innocents to his pasty torso. Ice hockey was indoors, okay? Replacing it with the one of Yefim's face. To finish on his outfit were a pear of black jeans and whiteout running shoes. Additionally, continuing the trend of bearded "Tom Lestrange", wearing the mustachio ring underneath a set of black gloves. Quinn Healy's got nothing on me.

As he found a seat, the boy retrieved a pocket journal. Opening to the second page, blue eyes scanned a list of betting odds he had accumulated over time. Previously demonstrating his interest in stats when he wrote for the headliner years ago. He would turn to various npcs[and anyone presently in the thread that would be interested in betting on the match].

The bets he had in mind are as follows: Hexwizard champion winner, over/under(3) for players to be KOed in the first match.

@Howard White

@Clair Fernandez, wearer of T-shirts and eater of snacks, first of her name, waiter of ballroom door openings and empty pockets. Her titles were not terribly impressive, that perhaps being a part of the reason why she was not part of the Hogwarts Hexwizard Team. She was too good to interact with her housemates, school mates or with the distinguished visitors domestic and abroad. rather she would watch the game below.

It was six wizarding schools facing off against one another in chess combat. It might have felt like a cop-out. Wasn't chess a traditional summer game? This was supposed to be some spectacular display, the first in over 3 decades. Hogwarts sure knew how to disappoint.

@Piérre Marchonné, the less handsome and less known twin. It was going to be hard living in Romeo's shadow, especially now that his brother Romeo was playing for Durmstrang as a part of their Champion Yefim's (@Flash Holmwood) chosen team. At least Romeo was not playing at Hogwarts, this time. Their own champion, Howard White was in another match - he could be content to cheer for them both or selfishly hope that Romeo failed to put on 'too good' of a show. From hereon, he would likely going to be compared with his brother every step along the way.

Petting his cat Figaro, he would watch as a part goblin was being forcibly escorted from the ballroom. He knew better than to trust anything, and he was so close to the truth at one point. So close he had touched it for a moment. He had a butter-knife, nail file to protect himself in a room full of wizards, so if anyone did any 'funny business' he would be prepared to poke them with the mildly pointed implement that with sufficient pressure might break the skin as well as a pointed stick. He had a bad feeling, which was correct, regarding the ball. The goblin would be escorted from the ballroom, loudly and the door would shut behind him.



But it certainly was not.

A girl would find Romeo in the dense crowd, an accomplishment in and of itself. Her name was Astrid Olsen (@Anastasia Varney), an almost-member of the Horntail Horde Hexwizard Heap, the quadruple H. — Hey! Are you okay?

Agata Ríos Matos (Beatrice Langstreth) had a pretty good seat, right next to the commotion. In fact, she saw and heard the whole thing happen and Otávio Vinicius Mirales Correa (@Nicholas McCowan) sauntered close to the scene at the very tail end. He had forgotten how to button his shirt, it was part of some Brazilian mating ritual. They would witness the part-goblin-man was wearing this threadbare suit and a wide-brimmed hat that mostly covered his face. He was sitting in one of the seats in the back in spite of the fact that he had gotten there even before her. There were plenty of seats closer to the action and considering his diminutive height it seemed mad that he would not want a seat up front.

Of course that would become more obvious as he took off his jacket, revealing a white, lightly stained but obviously well-laundered button down shirt that was tucked into a pair of black, pleated pants and placed it on the seat and then took off his hat which he placed on the his seat. He seemed agitated, he was eyeing one of the event staff, he was pointing students and guests to their seats. "Hey, hey you!" A harsh, discordant voice would snap. "Yeah, you!" He was getting the attention of the usher unapologetically. "Wizarding only event?" The goblin had a bit of a famous face for those that read the paper, without the hat in place his exaggerated features and signature leer made his identity apparent -- a known SCAR member, accused several times in the past for causing mayhem. He was also a known advocate for half-breed and non-human rights. A mortician by trade, he is also known by many goblins as being a vocal opponent of Gringott policy.

He was subdued, not particularly gently and he was dragged from the stands without additional incident. Not that she was there to watch this drama unfold, she was just an unfortunate spectator. No, she was here to watch the tournament unfold, without a Castelobruxo champion she was free to cheer on whomever she so pleased. As she watched the Durmstrang champion, Yefim, that's his name, she narrowed her eyes. Gods, she hoped they lost. She would not be the first to consider defacing his image, it was why his T shirt was among the best sellers at the game.

“Maldita desgraça, não é?" "Fuckin’ disgrace, isn’t it?” He did not give a crap about -that- half-breed part-goblin getting rightfully removed. Even if he was not misbehaving, he had no place here watching ugh... other halfbreeds try to defeat small children. ““O caso todo, na verdade. Algum tipo de manobra política para viver de acordo com o tradicional Tribruxo, mas o que eles ganham, equipes e mestiços? Bárbaros russos e crianças japonesas?” "The whole affair, really. Some kind of political ploy to live up to the traditional Triwizard, but what do they get, teams and half-breeds? Russian barbarians and Japanese children?” Sadly, he was not wrong even if most civil people would not say that.

“Não posso dizer que estou triste por não termos enviado uma equipe.” "Can’t say I’m sad we didn’t send a team.” A doubtful truth for the egotist. The attention, the power and the acclaim. The opportunity to prove what he already knew. No, he wanted to be out there.

"Si te refieres a la lamentable desgracia de abajo, entonces sí." "If you mean the sorry disgrace down below than yes." Agatha retorted in Spanish, a language that has similarities to Portuguese but is not the same language. Would the boy even understand what the younger girl had to say? ""¿En serio? De alguna manera lo estoy. De esa manera podríamos mostrar todas las otras escuelas." "Really? I am in a way. That way we could show all the other schools up." They were close enough linguistically that they would somehow communicate.

"Eu vejo por que a diretora recusou o convite para participar, sim, é o que quero dizer." “I see why the headmistress declined the invitation to attend, yes, is what I mean,” Raul responded in again his native tongue. “Embora, suponha que no devido tempo nos veremos participando, essa é a natureza das coisas, na verdade.” “Although, I suppose in due course we’ll find ourselves taking part, such is the nature of things, really.” A nod towards the flags, an assortment of foreign flags representing the various Ministries of Magic and the countries represented. “Muita publicidade para não. Faz sentido nos termos do escopo, pena que Uagadou não teve a mesma ideia.” “Too much publicity not to. Makes sense to have us scope it out, shame that Uagadou didn’t have the same idea.”

Uagadou was a no-show, they never even responded to the summons. An unusual school who was notoriously isolationistic. Their unique setting and student population would have made waves in the tournament had they shown. Much like the gregarious Castelobruxo who, like Durmstrang seemed to act as if they had something to prove.

@Avery McCall would make her way into the ballroom.

@Alec Mason was close enough to the drama. The plagued boy, with whom he had shared a kiss with a hag and well... 'survived' even if it meant wizard herpes. Wizard herpes that he was spreading to the rest of the wizarding population one girl at a time. Alec's wand had failed him in overhearing what Raul had to say (according to a roll I did not roll), and he also did not quite get the gist of what Agatha had to say either (36 Roll). it was gibberish between the both of them.

His seat would not be particularly close to the duo as he found an open space near Clair. “I still can't believe...” The Gryffindor whispered to himself before he would notice the nearby familiar face now that the growing crowd had drowned out the South Americans some distance away. “Hey,” Alec spoke in order to grab her attention, his dark lips almost appeared to be painted that way. An almost gleaming black with these fine lines that seemed to branch painlessly from the focus that was his lips, like some post millennial goth trend. “I'm not just imagining things and you saw that too right? There was no way I was the only one.” He was referring to the forced removal of the half-breed. The half-breeds have been a source of disagreement and strife in the wizarding community for years. Seen as dangerous and their inclusion detrimental to wizarding society, it was much like the dichotomy of purebloods and mudbloods. People treated others in ways that undermined their humanity and their basic value as a member of their shared magical society. “The person was half-goblin, I think, but did you see the way the house elves were dragging them out? Merlin, it was terrible.” A pang of sympathy felt for the unfortunate creature.

"Oh hi" Claire replied and nodded. "Yeah I saw that." She was troubled by it, but he was removed by Hogwarts own. "I wonder why they chucked him out, it could not have been only because of his possible part Goblin-ness could it." It was an easy answer. Had he caused a bit of trouble also? Well, he said words, but so didn't others spectating the task. Some were cheering and encouraging their friends, others were heckling the Champions and their chosen people. They, Alec and Claire were not close enough to see the details of what had happened to cause his expulsion or even get aa good look at his face, and even then they would only know it if they read more than the funny pages in the paper.

“I would hope not. Whatever it is, all of it is kind of sketchy, given the circumstances.” The fact that there was a brewing race-war. That there were acts of terror and a number of other potential causes. That the wizarding world was built on a foundation of intolerance and elitism.

"I'm Clair by the way. Second year Broom racer." She made her introduction to the school Cassenova.

“Call me Alec, um-” He was not really that bright since her introduction was pretty brief. “Fourth year, duellist.”

The transformations would take place down below. The students who had either donned their traditional school uniform as a statement of pride or wore their 'best attire' only to have it transformed before the eyes of this massive audience. There were a few catcalls in the stands, a few of those boys made impressive queens. “Por Nossa Senhora”, “By the Blessed Virgin,” Raul mumbled. For once the snarky youth without words. “At least they have some style, no?”

One would have thought that the transformation was the strangest event to transpire but it was the shark child.

A younger boy would rush towards Raul. A shark furry, Vladislav Liam Gunther (@Clark William Baird-Carter). Why had had chose this ridiculous outfit was beyond likely Raul as well as the narrator. "YOU THERE! What do you think you're doing? Cut the chatter and start cheering on the number one school in the entirety of the universe! KOLDOVSTORETZ!" Why he thought the boy speaking Portuguese to a girl speaking in Spanish knew English? Was that even Vladislav's primary language (probably not)? So he would rush a bot he did not know, in a shark suit to speak with him in his second language (and Raul's non-language)... "If you do not support Koldovstoretz, I wouldn't drink water later- or butterbeer..." Well, it did not sound like he spoke English too well either, for the native speakers and listeners in range they probably were nt following the boy's logic.

“What in the world?” Alec whispered, mostly towards himself but Clair was close enough to overhear in spite of the cheering crowd. Alec snickered as Vladislav tried to grab the attention of everyone sitting off to the side in the stands, and made a vague threat “Oi, mate! Maybe you would hear more cheering for your school if you piped down and do it yourself!”

Alec was easily distracted. He would see George make his way into the ballroom (see below) and dart off. “Duty calls,” he would announce.

@Colin McCoire would enter the ballroom a bit late, yet he was admitted all the same. he would find the ballroom crowded and he would scan the crowd for the snake squad to discover that the squad was scattered. Sophia was nowhere to be seen, she was studying up in a farm upstate. Kim was on a 'date' with Bailey on the other side of the ballroom. Kim was easy enough to find with the safety-vest hue of his tresses.

He was not going to be a third wheel, besides he was looking for someone in particular -- Claire Fernandez. She was prettier than any Veela. He was drawn to her immediately. "There she is!" Colin cried, practically dancing with excitement! "CLAAAIIIRRR!!!" He was an expert at playing it cool. (No, he really was not)

His excitement should have turned to concern as the guy going through his goth phase (Alec) made small talk with his future wife. Well, he no longer needed to worry as the older boy left her side, leaving space for him. "Hi, Clair," he said in a low voice. "It's really good to see you here! Is it okay if I sit with you? Isn't this exciting? I love playing chess! But I hope nothing really bad happens here today!" His hopes would be ultimately dashed.

____________________________

On the other side of the ballroom, @Bailey Glade had dragged @Kim Sato to the Hexwizard First Task. Was this some sort of date? Baily did not look like a KPop Singer, she was probably not Kim's type but with enough saccharine bribery anything was possible.

“I brought you this-“ Bailey handed Kim a marshmallow filled biscuit sandwich. “I have one for myself as well- I got it in Hogsmead, they’re really good. I have some other candy too, for us fo munch on!”

Kim was pretty popular with the ladies as he had a first and a second pick, neither unfortunately being the poor lass that had taken him. Perhaps she would move up in the ranks after today. Friendship is an act of reciprocity. So where did that leave poor Bailey? Did she even make the list? Someplace after Eun-ji and Pax apparently. Then there was Sage.... She was somewhere down near Collin...

Well, Kim was at the top of her list.

"Going for the sweets this time, huh?" Kim asked with an arched brow. It did not pair well with butterbeer. Bailey, you already failed this date. Why did you not consider the pairings of your snacks! "What do you think about getting something savory to go with our sweet?" The human traffic cone suggested. "Want a hotdog, hamburger or both?

“That’s because I know you brings more savory dishes- and I have to balance that out. Plus I love sweets- and all desserts to be honest.” this would have been a good time to call him 'sweet.' The girl needed to up her flirt game. “I could go for either- what about you?”

Their presence and potential drama would be overshadowed by @Hugh Lowe, a part giant who stood head-and-shoulders (literally) over the rest of the student body, sans perhaps @Quinn Healy. He was not alone of course, he had company. A tall man dressed in a fitted shirt and par of blue jeans. He was over six feet in height and built like a brick house with cobblestone abds, but he was no part-giant. His name was Brock and he was wearing sunglasses indoors until he flipped them to the top of his head. "Hell of a place you got here Lowe," he commented as he dropped a grey hoodie on the back of his seat and dropped a duffel bag in front of his feet. "Got us some pumpkin juice," he would pull from the dufflebag a pair of corked bottles, leaving one in Lowe's hand after he shouted "Give 'em hell, Towers!" The bottles had 0 pumpkin juice, that was definitely a bloody Mary, the blood just for coloring.

"Is that your girlfriend," he pointed towards Serena. "You should bring her sometime," he added. "I'm sure she would understand," he continued as they watched the teams transform.

A part goblin would be escorted from the ballroom, Hugh would recognize the voice and he face in spite of the distance as they were crossed by the Goblin being escorted out of the building by a quartet of house elves.

@George Henry would watch the game from one of the 'better seats'. He was keeping his eye on @Alan Vanes, his not-boyfriend who he just saw transform into a religious figure. Of course his mind was on other things besides Alan, there was the risk of international magical terrorism taking place right here at Hogwarts. An incident had happened in Hogsmeade just over a year ago that had left a dozen and a half dead. Right now there was a concentration of political figures, from the Minister of Magic to representatives of media and and foreign representatives from the most powerful and prestigious organizations, establishment and institutions in the magical world.

George would be left to worry about 'who' was Howard's special person. It was announced months ago and at the time it was not particularly relevant to George's day. But it was Alan Vanes who walked immediately behind Howard in the place where the 'special person' for every other team had stood. What sort of 'special person' is a no-show for their person (Thomas)?

"...Who's Howard's special person, by the way?" George would ultimately ask nobody in particular. Not that he was interested. Not that he was concerned. Not that he was jealous of the popular, handsome dhampir. A former prefect and athlete, Alan had a type perhaps.

Alec would make his way over to the stands where George had settled in. there was a great, clear view to watch Alan passive-aggressively. He would arrive just in time to hear George's jealous inquiry. “They said it was Falantra Black when he was announced champion. Dunno if she's here or not, but it doesn't seem like it.” Alec spoke trailing off, he glanced towards the chessboards then back towards George. She was a no-show, what happened to her is well unknown to the author but she was no longer participating in the tournament. She was being replaced by Thomas LeStrange but this was only briefly mentioned over the past few weeks and was easily overlooked. “Do you think Hogwarts will do well?” Alec asked. They had the home terrain advantage at the very least. “You know, Alan doesn't look half bad as a Bishop,” Alec would whisper. Did he have a thing for Alan too! Hands off goth lips.

George would not be polite about the dark aesthetic. "You- your face," he murmured breathlessly, reaching up to touch his own lips. "Doesn't it hurt...?"

@Rita Su would make her way into the ballroom, filled to the brim with excitement. She would see several that she recognized. "Hi, you all! Hope you are all having a great day! I cannot wait to watch the Hexwizard tournament!" She would find her way near Alec, he was talking with George. She would echo George's concerns, "Are you OK, Alec? What happened to your lips? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Well, he was not in a coma or in pain at the very least.

“My lips... no, not really, it feels a little weird but that's all.” It has not even measurably effected his 'love life.' Alec would frown, “George... You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

That was about all the concern Alec would get from George. He said that George need not worry and George ran with that. Eyes back on Alan, the non-special person. "Did you see that? Howard just winked at Alan," that was not George's imagination either. "He's lucky we're in the middle of the Hexwizard or I'd be out on that chessboard giving him a piece of my mind... jerk..." He could take on the older, taller dhampire. How dare he flirt with the guy George might eventually date.

Back to something else. "...We'll win. Look at the Koldovstoretz team... well, Kolya looks cute," George said, focusing on the positive as he indicated Nikolai the knight. "But he's like ten so he's about to get trounced by the best wizards at Hogwarts... plus a few Slytherins."

“Yeah okay Kolya is cute, the other one is ten but um... George, are you- are you alright?”

______________________________

On the third side, well closest to the main door on the back wall @Flash Holmwood would have a lot to think about while he settled in for the match. The fate of his eye an unknown to this author, @Jack Burnett had made a deal with Marion Davenport a hag who for all intents and purposes looked like an attractive teenage girl. It was a deal that cost more than he ever knew. He knew about the coma that @Dealla Prince and @Opeila Winters had endured for his sake, not that they fully understood the price they were to pay for him. What that dark magic had birthed.

He had friends to think about, @Percival Gray and @Wyatt Starkley primarily. He also had enemies to consider, such as @Howard White, Hogwarts chosen champion. He had chosen @Falentra Black but where was she? Hell, where was he. The girl on his arm this year was @Bloom Silverton, not Fal. Some 'special person' she must be to Howard to be called special while he had another girl on his arm. He was toying with Falentra's emotions as if she was some sort of plaything. There was also Howard's connection with hags, or so that was what was believed. Howard was way deeper in this than even Howard knew. And Flash had every right to question the goblet's validity... there was some intense fraud in progress.

A first year would settle in not far from the massive duo, @Irina Sousa. She would take a butterbeer from the vendor. The low alcohol content of a butterbeer was basically about as fermented as week old juice. It was going to take more than a few to even feel giddy. "Hey! Mister vendor...here please!" The butterbeer was ice cold, refreshing and crisp.

@Thomas LeStrange would arrive after the match had already started, the teams had already transformed. The cheering crowd would drown out any sound made by the teen. Not that he made any, the mountain man aesthetic on a face far too young for the abundance of facial hair somewhat resembled a beard beanie made of yarn despite thee fact that it was magic mustachio hair.

The announcer would notice Thomas LeStrange however and loudly proclaim his presence and role as Howard White, Hogwart's Champion's "Special Person." The media certain noticed as a flurry of shutters would immortalize the moment that Thomas donned a shirt of... Yefim? He ould slink off to a seat near Flash Holmwood as the flashbulbs left him blind and vulnerable to attack. Much like the dozens he blinded with his pasty pale torso that reflected the light of a thousand flashing bulbs into the eyes of an unprepared audiance.

Interacting: @George Henry | @Alec Mason | Open to interactions

Outfit: ✿ | ✿

Mentioning: @Mathias Pride

English | Irish

Winnie Harper looked like she was dressed for a tea party, not to attend a sporting (?) event, but she had always been a little extra. Besides, with the visiting schools present she had a chance of running into Mathias, a chance to make this little event a date. How could she not dress up?

The heel of her white ankle boot tapped against the floor of the ballroom as she slipped past the doors. After adjusting the puffy sleeves on her pink floral top, her blue eyes scanned the stands for any sign of Matt, but there was no sign of him. Dammit, where was he? How dare he not instantly assume she would be here. This tournament was a testament to their love; he had given up his title as champion for her, after all. Had she over applied her strawberry lipbalm and curled her hair for no reason at all?!

With a huff she started to squeeze past the attendees. "Excuse me, sorry... I just... I need through." She wasn't sure where she was going, but she was planning on staying; there was no sense in wasting an outfit.

It wasn't long before she spotted George, and she was about to make her way over to him when a certain fish (@Clark William Baird-Carter's iNPC) blasted her ears with screeching that could rival her own. "Ow. Loud much? Stop screaming at him, you weirdo. Is your school really so pathetic that you need to order people to cheer for them?" It was only after she snapped at the shark that her eyes fell onto the stupid handsome jerk (@Nicholas McCowan's iNPC) that had kissed HER Mattie over the summer. "Y-YOU!" She pointed at the Brazilian, her cheeks huffing as she scurried past them, hopefully before they saw the red blooming on her cheeks. Whether or not they wanted to follow was up to them.

When she finally reached George, she sat down next to him with a huff of annoyance. "Hi George, hi Georgie's friend. Mattie isn't HERE." She gestured to the stands as if his lack of presence was the most important thing to note. "And all the other schools have stupid JERKS in them-- INCLUDING HIM!" She suddenly pointed towards the Durmstrang team's Queen, Felix Kolbeck. She recognized him from the spring ball.

"BOO! DURMSTRANG'S QUEEN SUCKS!" She shouted, purposely lowering her voice to disguise it. As the white haired boy turned his head, she dove down to hide behind the seats in front of them, causing Felix's eyes to instead land on George and Alec. They would receive a death glare and a quick flip of the bird before the Swede tried to refocus (it's ok I can godmod him cause it me, but I will also post more of his reaction when replying on the Durm thread).

"I'm fine," said George with an easy shrug. He didn't care about all the business with Alan, nor did he care about the horrible color of Alec's lips, and he certainly didn't care about whatever other horrible things were undoubtedly going on among the rest of the spectators. There were far too many strangers and grown-ups among them for anybody to think all of this was going to end well. He laid his hand over his pocket, reminding himself where his wand was and remembering the assurances he'd offered Nikolai. If any thing bad happened, things would be different this time. Hopefully.

"Alec, he's not a ten, he is ten. That's gross," George said, though when he looked at Alec he could not help but stare at his dark lips. It wasn't any surprise Alec was having trouble making out what he was saying - he was muttering in a crowded room of spectators. Someone else swooped in to interrogate Alec about his horrible face just in time for George to spot Howard's special person being announced... Thomas Lestrange? Was Alec part deaf that he mistook that name for "Falentra Black"? They sounded nothing alike. Worse off, this meant that Howard definitely liked boys, and with all that winking, there was totally something between him and Alan. Whatever. George, thankfully, didn't care.

So he was totally unbothered. It took a moment for his jaw to unclench so he could greet Winnie, forcing a smile for her as she sat down beside him. "My friend is Alec... were you expecting him? I never saw Gideon, either. He was at the ball, though," George said, craning his neck to see if he could spot either his little not-Jake or Winnie's horrible ginger lover.

"Some of the other school people are nice-" George began, but before he knew it, Winnie was already pointing out a specific jerk from among the Durmstrang team. Alright, in fairness, he'd been warned by several of his friends about Durmstrang, and was quite confident the only one among them that wasn't a jerk was Greta. Snorting a laugh as Winnie took on a deeper voice, he had no time to react as the wrath of Felix landed on him instead of her. "Hey, no fair!"

Oh, well. It was George's philosophy that if he was going to be in trouble either way, he was going to enjoy it. "BOO!" he jeered at the Durmstrang Queen, sticking his tongue out and wrinkling his nose. "Durmstrang's Queen sucks!"

And then he would elbow Alec. "Okay, now you." Then, it was back to the real meat of the event - the Hogwarts vs Koldovstoretz match! Feeling slightly more relaxed as Winnie reminded him that this was only a game, George slouched forward to observe the Hogwarts champion again... with slightly less jealousy.

Mid strip, eyes and flashbulbs honed on LeStrange to signal his arrival and role as Howard's "special boy". The fuck was that supposed to mean? His bearded facade proved valueless, leaving the boy to dig a swift thumbnail against the ring to force it off his finger while his shirt was still caught underneath the bushy haven. The ring sunk towards the base of the bleachers, rolling towards the feet of @Winnie Harper. The Yefim support shirt slid over his torso without bearded opposition, though obscuring his view of where the ring relocated. More pressing was any reception of his beard on/off trick, possibly leaving those that witnessed the beard beforehand to wander what prompted the Theodenesque transformation, minus the color. Thomas was still quite pale.

So just like that, back to being...



The ring's path to Harper allowed Thomas a moment of reflection on his brief history with the giraffe enthusiast. More so the apparent transformation that left the young shy girl eclipsed by this bold and outspoken heckler of a Durmstrang participant. If Thomas had to guess, all those sprinklings of confetti glitter replaced with traumatic experiences---get in line. Thomas stared unapologetically in her direction, turning his frame towards her with his lips pressed together in a huff. If she noticed his gaze, he'd offer a gesture towards the ring now left by her feet. "Due excuses," The boy's icy blue eyes flickered to the Hufflepuff[G.Henry] elder she was engaged with, then back to Winnifred, repeating the motion towards the ring he intended to reacquire until the red-head girl would see. "Wouldn't mind giving that a kick this way?"

Results of acquiring his ring aside, the dubbing as Howard's special person still rattled in the fifteen year old's mind. Thomas having no recollection of such a role, leading him to squint towards the announcer after a series of blinding bulbs. Unable to retort without the amplifying voice charm in his repertoire, nor approving of the alternative to saunter over to this person, likely drawing more attention to himself. The boy mused this to be a mere jest as instructed by Howard. Special was far from the adjective he'd use in formal speech to describe Lestrange, though the history between may have provided an untethered connection that inspired peculiar fondness. Either way, if Thomas was truly to have a role in this tourney, the half-dhampir could attempt to fetch him on his own.

Yet knowledge of Hogwarts newest acquisition for this tournament left the few gears in Thomas' mind to slowly materialize a unique advantage in betting. Calvin Ridley, Yasiel Puig, Evander Kane, and Thomas Lestrange. If you know you know. The boy considered the unthinkable:. "Five galleons on Durmstrang winning." He rose his voice to all those in his vicinity[perhaps @Flash Holmwood caught word]