2022, Stage 1 Day 2 SPECTATOR

Who said he can’t come to a game to support a friend for his life? No one. But if there were, they would still be right. In all his life, he had only ever genuinely supported about…1- er- 2, games. While as a spectator, most of the time, his intentions is to see people he didn’t like to get a good whooping. Today was nothing different, but between the two matches, one of them was slightly different than the other.
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MORNING SLOT || MATCH 9 || Pea Elena Fowl & Hui Ming

The first one was the 9th match, between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Pea should have considered herself honoured. Hanako usually would have thrown some sort of fit if he had to spend his free early mornings somewhere else apart from his own room with himself as his only company ( exception : Cu Sith ). But here he was, 10:30 in the morning, seeing a 2nd year duel that was bound to be incredibly uneventful. That being said, she probably wouldn’t have appreciated the only reason he was here seeing her duel was to laugh at her failures. But hey, something had to be compensated for his time.

And b o y, was it compensated.

As if he was being tested since the match began, by the 3rd round, he could not handle it anymore. Anyone present during the 9th Match would be fully aware (or concerned) of his real intentions of coming here. No one laughed that loud and not enjoyed what they were seeing. It was exhilarating. He hasn’t laughed this much in such a long time, he relished every second of it. A small merciful side of him had made him continue his efforts to conceal his laughing. And while it died down, the deed had been done, and there certainly had been people who heard it. Did he care? Nah. He was fully confident his laugher sounded musical to their ears. Particularly, one of the duellists he was observing right now.

That poor sad kid. Being paired up with Fowl as his first partner in a duel was going to leave him with quite the memory. First being blasted by her own spell, and now a victim of 2 powerful flipendo. He had his luck cut out for him, that's for sure. The attacks directed to him weren’t the work of Fowl’s, but he wasn’t going to get some words of encouragement from her, that’s for sure.

Traces of his earlier jolly laugh still evident on his face, Hana continued on to observe the duel more entranced than before. Noticing Pea heard his laughter loud and clear (and certainly wasn’t happy about it), only urged him to laugh a bit more. As a meek apologies, he attempted to bite the laughter down and feign a weak surrender with his hands up.

Sorry not sorry, Argan.
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AFTERNOON SLOT || MATCH 11 || KIM SATO & EVERLY CHARLTON

The second one was the 11th match. Gryffindoor vs Hufflepuff. He supported neither of them. But if he had to choose, the lions would be paid extra attention to. It wouldn’t be so bad to see Charlton fumos her way out of this duel, and if it she would use the same tactics he used last time he fought against her. His and Charlton’s duel last year had been a rather dramatic one. She probably wouldn’t know considering she was out before it ended. But she certainly was an annoying opponent. While it was in his instinct to wish for her ultimate demise, her partner this time had spared her from constant booing from the bitter boy.

Kim Aoki. A fellow Parselmouth that is persistently disinterested in the ASP club. To be a persistent kid, you need to be even more persistent. And perhaps it was no surprise (especially to Kim), that he was here to see his duel. Though there will be no advertising from Hanako today, to Kim’s luck. Hanako was just curious to see how he’d play his first duel. They tend to be the most memorable, as proven by the earlier match he witnessed just now.

But unlike Pea’s duel, this one truly was slower. Hanako paid faint interest in the spells being thrown, which happened less frequently in comparison to spells that missed.
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Mentions: @Pea Elena Fowl, @Hui Ming,@Everly Charlton,@Kim Sato

Afternoon Slot - 12:30 - 13:30 - Match 11
245/200
@Kim Sato || @

Bailey signed, glancing up again. She really had no clue how dueling worked, something she resolved to figure out. Bailey thought surely there’s a book in the library about it. Surely I can research and figure it out- and if I can’t, I’ll just owl Kim.
Sitting, Bailey doodled more. She starred with a sketch that was inspired by dueling and magic. It had a smoky chocolate coffee chocolate cake base, a cake that Bailey was currently working on perfecting. It would be accompanied with rich chocolate buttercream, of course homemade.
ohh and I could fill it with sugar crystals, different colors like the sparks..? Bailey thought, brainstorming.
Glancing up, Bailey spotted @ Hanako Tone, or Hannah as he told her to call him.
Bailey smiled at seeing him.
Her interaction with the Slytherin Fourth year at the Quidditch match had been interesting to say the least, but bailey counted him among her friends. To be clear,
Bailey counted everyone but Dex as her friend- even @Sienna Lenoir who bailey was pretty sure hated her, and Bailey could not figure out why!
If Hanna looked up to see Bailey, she would grin, and wave in his direction.
Always the kind Angel bailey was kind of hoping for a change to get to talk to Hannah again, but she would understand if he never even looked up and saw her.
Bailey retuned to doodling, adding more details, like fondant wands shooting sparks, and other fun details.

Morning Slot - 10:30 - 11:30, Match 7

Afternoon Session: Birbs vs. Kittens

Bubba was very annoyed with himself. He had known for about a week that Sam had a duel today and he knew he wanted to be there to support her. But of course, he was late. Why did the stupid young lion have to go and set off a bunch of dungbombs in the Abandoned Toilets? Didn't that place already smell shitty enough? It was certainly going to be a fun detention to preside over. He wasn't sure what he was going to do yet. But that was tomorrow's problem, he had to get there to cheer Sam on.

Unfortunately, he arrived a few minutes late and the duel was already ongoing. He saw Sam and Cade standing across from two Gryffindors he knew by sight but had never really talked to. He walked as close as he dared after being late and sat down in an empty chair, paying no mind to who he was sitting next to, if there was even anyone there.

A few moments after he sat down he saw Sam, she looked... what was the word? flummoxed? It was like she wasn't sure what to do, almost on the verge of panic. He saw her looking into the crowd, their eyes locked for a moment. He wasn't sure what the etiquette for dueling matches was, as much as he wanted to call out in encouragement he didn't want to embarrass her and commit a faux pax. Instead, as their eyes were locked he mouthed, "You got this, babe," and gave her an encouraging smile.

Then he saw the blue light hit Sam in the chest and was concerned that she did not, in fact, have this.. He gave an involuntary gasp that he hoped wasn't too loud. This was the first of Sam's duels he'd been to and he wasn't sure if he could take it. He didn't want to watch her get hurt!

Interacting: @Samantha Salwis Mentioning: @ N/A

Afternoon Session: Birbs vs. Kittens

Bubba was no expert when it came to dueling but he had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't going very well at all for the Ravenclaws. He was still preoccupied with the look that Sam had given him as she'd floundered in the previous round. Then, watching the blue light hit her, it just made him think of her eyes. Her deep, beautiful blue eyes. Bubba had found that when you looked some people in the eye, it seemed like there was nothing there. When he looked into Sam's eyes, it was the complete opposite. It was like staring into the deepest ocean or into the night sky, gazing into the seemingly limitless depth of the seas, or upon the fathomless bounds of the cosmos. He felt he could look into her beautiful blue eyes forever because there was so much life in them. When he looked into them, he could see his way home.

Back in the actual duel, however, it did not resemble home at all. Carnage was probably the best way to describe what was unfolding in front of him. Bubba had never seen a duel before and he was surprised by how quickly everything seemed to be happening. It was just spell after spell after spell. There was very little time to process what was going on. Sam had shot a spell at Regina which had unfortunately missed (he hoped he hadn't distracted her), Regina responded in kind and Sam was unable to dodge her spell. He wasn't sure what it was but it looked like her legs were unwilling to respond to the signals her brain was sending. At the same time, Cade had just produced a mist that hung over the field, unfortunately, he was hit with a spell and crumpled like a sack of potatoes.

This was more than Bubba could take, that looked like it hurt. And now Sam was in a handicap match. It wasn't looking good at all. Bubba considered the futile gesture of jumping in and throwing hands to defend her. Somehow he thought that might be against rules, plus Sam would probably kick his ass for getting her disqualified. So Bubba sat and watched (albeit most of the time through his hands) with gritted teeth. "Come on Sam, you can do this," he muttered under his breath. He wasn't sure he believed it, but he certainly wasn't going to give up on her.

Interacting: @Samantha Salwis Mentioning: @ N/A

Afternoon Slot - 12:30 - 13:30, Match 11

Blue in English, Red in Korean

It didn’t take long for Bailey to give up on her and Eun-ji honestly couldn’t blame her. After all, keeping safe distance was her main goal these days so people leaving her alone became more and more frequent result of any interaction she had. It was honestly better that way.

Re-focusing back on the duel in front of her, the witch surveyed the situation. To her utter disappointment Julian did seem to be continuing his tradition of setting people on fire but it was not really her place to judge now that she wasn't directly involved. The two of them didn’t know each other and if he decided that was his thing, who was she to disapprove? The Ravenclaw just wished he owned up to it. Kim also obviously found his favourite spell in Knockback Jinx but he at least seemed confident in doing so. Not to mention, it actually worked quite well for him. Hufflepuff was definitely doing worse for the first few rounds of the duel. Sure, there were couple of failed spells on both sides but the Gryffindor team was much better at dodging and eventually the spells hit home as well. Julian cast Incendio duo at least 3 times so far and she had yet to see anybody on fire. Not that she wished for it to happen. She had been on the receiving end last time and instinctively flinched away from any open flames for a whole week afterwards.

It took five rounds for Gryffindor to finally get hit as well. Eun-ji definitely wasn’t pleased to see that the one on the receiving end turned out to be Kim but he did great up until that point and duelling was a painful sport. It would be a miracle to survive one without any damage. Unfortunately, from then on the tide started turn. Gryffindors were still doing better when it came to their overall physical state but the older of the two seemed distracted and failed to cast any spells. Kim got hit with yet another Knockback Jinx and to make things worse, he ended up blindfolded as well. Well, Everly better snap out of it FAST. The Ravenclaw sighed. She did not envy the little lion now. She was always fortunate when it came to her teammates and knew she could count on them as long as they were able to help. Good teammate was one of the most important aspects in any duel. There was only so much you could do alone.

Mentioning: @Kim Sato٭ @Bailey Glade٭ @Julian Pritchard٭ @Everly Charlton

Afternoon Slot, Match 12

"Whoa! Salwis got back up! KNOCK HER DOWN AGAIN LIONS!" Colin shouted as he cheered on the Pride of Pendrast. He noted that there was a fellow spectator who seemed like he'd rather be just about anywhere else. He knew the boy just in front of him to be one of Ravenclaw's prefects, but didn't know his name.

He turned back to the duel only to see the entire Ravenclaw team just standing there on the piste. Were they frozen? Colin didn't remember either Gryff casting a spell that would just turn the birbs into mannequins! "Why is Salwis just standing there? Oh well! YOOOOOO GRYFFINDOR!! BOWL EM OVER!!" he cried out!

O'Neill cast a wicked flipendo straight at Salwis, and knocked her back! New blood spewed out, and Colin knew that she must be hurting! Yet she didn't fall. Oh, but poor Regina! Such a proud girl, he knew! He heard her cast a powerful fire making spell, but alas it fizzled. Cade, the other Ravenclaw, got lucky.

Colin caught himself before he let out a disgruntled hiss at the older girl. Something told him that wouldn't work. Her expression belied nothing at all, but, somehow Colin thought she must be kicking herself inside. "It's just rotten luck Regi! Keep it cool, lassie! YOU'VE SO GOT THIS!!!"

And still neither Ravenclaw fought back! Perhaps they were dazed? Colin knew what it felt like to be spellslammed, and maybe that's what was happening to team Ravenclaw. He shook his head with compassion. It wasn't a good place to be in! He wondered, for a moment, was it even possible to surrender to the other team? Colin knew he'd rather be dragged away mangled and bleeding rather than surrender, but surely not everyone thought the same way!

Colin noticed a faint smile on Sam's face as she looked for someone in the stands. Wait. Sam's eyes seemed to be looking --- looking at me!? Sam's cute and all, but --- no way! Wait. It was then Colin realised that Salwis was actually smiling at the prefect in front of him! Gosh! Maybe they were together? His line of thought was broken as the duel got really heated.

Colin cheered as Ravenclaw and Gryffindor slammed each other! "WOOOOOOOOOO!! BRILLIANT LIONS!!" Salwis's fire just missed O'Neill. "Tough luck Salwis! WHOA!!" The other Ravenclaw cast a smoke spell, which clouded the piste. But that didn't stop the invincible lions! O'Neill blasted the smoked Raven with a wicked flipendo and sent him reeling to the floor! And Regina hit Sam with what Colin was pretty sure was impedimenta. He'd have to see how Sam reacted to be sure, but it was a good hit, and good strategy!

"REGI!! REGI!! THAT'S THE WAY!" Colin shouted!

"HALT!" The umpire paused the duel whilst the healers dragged the unconscious boy off the piste. And as quickly as she stopped the action, she commanded them to continue. Not much of a rest for poor Sam! But the Ravenclaw wasn't giving up yet! Even without a partner, she would be a force to reckoned with, and as silence settled on the smokey piste, she attacked! A fire making spell! In spite of him cheering on Regina and the Pride, he had to admit that Sam was a stalwart duellist! He didn't shout or anything, but he did say: "Oh, crap --- good one Sammy!"

And that's when Regina chose to attack! Colin snarled softly in response. His eyes were on the older Gryffindor --- he just knew she was waiting for the moment Sam cast her spell. She was very like a real lioness! Scenting her prey, ever seeking her adversary's location. Colin's heart thumped with excitement! "YESSS! WOOOOOO REGI!!" Just as Sam's fire leapt from her wand, Regi sent her own flipendo smashing straight at the lone eagle! A brilliant hit! Another hit like that would send Salwis off the piste on a stretcher like her partner!

@Regina Miller | @Samantha Salwis | @Bubba McGarry | @Sylvie O'Neill

Afternoon Slot, Match 12

What was going on with Sam? She was normally so quick and decisive. For the second time in the match, it seemed as if she had been paralyzed into inaction. Did it have something to do with Cade getting knocked out? Lingering thoughts for her now unconscious comrade in arms? She needed to get it together or she'd be down and out just like Cade. And Bubba didn't think he could take that. He didn't even want to think of her just lying there, those brilliant, beautiful blue eyes just glazed over, nothing behind them. He found himself going mildly faint at the thought of it. Is this what having the vapors felt like?

Meanwhile, his attention was divided by a most unpleasant sight (and sound). Perhaps he had just not been processing it in the excitement of the duel but there was a most unpleasant Slytherin boy sat right behind him. At a couple of his shouts, Bubba looked behind him and threw him a sullen look but didn't do anything. The boy was exceedingly rude, and loud, and his chirps weren't even that good. Still, Bubba was too classy for that and refused to be sucked into the fray. What an arrogant prat, he'd probably thought Sam's forlorn look into the crowd was directed at him. As if.

Bubba wanted nothing more than to turn around and punch the boy in the face to shut him up and teach him a much-needed lesson in manners. Unfortunately, being a prefect, he was fairly certain that starting a fight during a duel would be frowned upon. Plus he knew Sam would kill him if he did that, let alone any other consequences. Still, could he give him detention for being an asshole? Instead of making a scene, he decided to shout some encouragement to Sam, "COME ON SAM, YOU'VE GOT THIS!"

Interacting: @Samantha Salwis Mentioning: @Colin McCoire