First Duel, First Mod PV Cai and Irina closed

DATE ┊ 04/16/2023-----STYLE ┊ sporty attire & hair-----MENTIONS ┊ @Duvessa Ember & @Irina Shevel-----WC ┊ 339/200
-----ENGLISH ┊ "words"-----FRENCH ┊ "words"-----ARABIC ┊ "words"

-----At long last.

She would turn her focus to the spot in the audience stands where she had witnessed her very first dance of wandplay featuring a particular pair of snakes, but after taking off her cardigan and placing it on the steps, Caoimhe would take a position on the piste and move with confidence while trying to take in the moment. Her bared skin could feel the heat of the candles above her, and the scent of polish hitting her nostrils. Caoimhe's focus would become increasingly fixated on Irina as she progressed toward the top of her end of the piste, and she would continue to do so throughout the duration of the duel despite her attention occasionally being drawn to the stands where her snake brethren would be observing.

For a considerable amount of time, the serpent had been keeping a keen look out for an opportunity similar to the one that had just presented itself. Caoimhe was eager to demonstrate the tenacity and determination that she displayed in prior training as she prepared for her first duel at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even if it wasn't a traditional victory that could be won, Caoimhe craved success with such a fervent hunger that she could almost taste the sweetness it would bring to her tongue.

Caoimhe would recollect the months of practicing evasive maneuvers outdoors before narrowing in on spellwork, making use of the spell-absorbent and flame resistant walls of the Dueling room in order to do so. The Slytherin knew that preparation was the key to success in this situation. However, there was such a thing as over-practicing, and Caoimhe experienced a little glimmer of uncertainty during this brief moment.

Breathe, she thought before pulling out her cherry-wooded wand. A symbol of power, no doubt. Her hands trembled with anticipation and nervousness, like a viper poised to strike. Caoimhe did not recognize her opponent, which made this duel less enjoyable, but she had no concerns that would prevent her from casting her most potent spells. The girl would indicate to her best friend with a curt nod featuring a smirk that she was prepared to commence. She decided, with a piercing gaze and a wry smile on her lips, to tease her opponent in an effort to increase the intensity of their game.

"Best of luck, Irina, it seems you'll need it."

Note: Please owl me if I'm doing anything wrong on my end
Mentions: Everyone in this thread.

Action Sent

Irina had always been curious - curious and reckless. Her spellwork was certainly not top notch and although she was good at the spells she knew, she didn't know very many. Whilst exploring the castle, she had finally decided to let her curiosity get the better of her and enter the duelling room. It was beautiful, with floating candles similar to the Great Hall and a rasied duelling strip at the far end.
Irina spent a few minutes wandering around it, taking everything in and ignoring most of the people there. She started with interest at the cracks running through the tiled floors, imagining the spells cast to cause such damage. 'Wish I knew a spell that could do something like that,' she thought wistfully. Although she knew First Years weren't expected to know complicated spells, she desperately wanted to be good at this sort of thing. It seemed exciting and nerve-wracking; but in a good way!

She snapped out of her contemplation to see a Slytherin girl walk in, waving to her friend. She then looked towards Irina and her eyes lit up. "Hello there. Would you two like me to moderate a duel? I've learnt how to!"
Irina was surprised, opening her mouth slightly and glancing quickly at the other girl. Cai (or whatever her name was) looked eager . . . almost hungry. It was a desperation devoid of fear that caused Irina's insides to tighten and her mind to become wary. She wasn't normally one to make brash judgements about people whom she had only just met, but still she was cautious. Despite the fact her head was saying 'You came in here to explore, not to duel! You don't know enough spells!' Her heart was beating faster and shouting over it, 'Go on, go on! This is you're first duel! It'll be fun!'
She gave in to her heart (as she always did) and smiled broadly at the moderator. "Alright then! Should be fun!"

She saw her opponent draw her wand and quickly did the same. It felt reassuring in her grip, almost comforting. She loved everything about her wand and due to her extensive knowledge on wand lore, felt she had a stronger bond with it than many. It dragon heartstring core was powerful, walnut wood was keen and slightly bendy flexibility was loyal. Obviously it had it's faults, but didn't everyones?

As Irina readied herself by taking a few breaths and reminding herself of all the spells she knew, she looked around to see that the seats were gradually filling up with Slytherins. The sea of green and silver caused her reserve to tighten even more. She had no support and was surrounded by a group of her opponent's friends . . . or at least house members. Trying hard not to let her doubts grow larger, she wished she had some of her friends with her. Like Mahlioz! Even though Mahlioz was a serpent, Irina couldn't imagine a better friend and knew that if she were here, she'd be supporting Irina. Or at least cheering her on.
Irina took a deep breath and ignored the crowds, just in time to hear Caoimhe say, "Best of luck, Irina, it seems you'll need it."

Irina wanted to raise her eyebrows at the taunt but thought that escalating the situation further wouldn't be helpful. Besides, why aggravate a Slytherin she was about to duel . . . in a room full of Slytherins. It didn't seem smart. 'Hey,' she thought with surprise, 'I used my head for once!'
She winked cheerfully at Caoimhe and replied, "Funny, I was gonna say the same to you!"
'Wow, nice going,' her head muttered. Not the smoothest way to start a duel. Under normal circumstances, Irina would have enjoyed duelling. If it was with a friend it would have been fun and if she had been prepared she wouldn't have felt nervous. But with tons of Slytherins present and an opponent fuelled by desperation, her body was more tense than she would have liked.

Taking a final deep breath, Irina readied herself to duel.

✤ Round 1 ✤

✤ Irina VS Caoimhe ✤

Irina casts Verdimillious on Caoimhe
Wisdom DC: 6
Wisdom Check: [d20 : 3] + 7 = 10 > 6 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20 : 2] + 5 = 7
Evasion Check: [d20 : 10] + 9 = 19
7 < 19 → Miss!

✤ Caoimhe VS Irina ✤

Caoimhe casts Wingardium Laviosa on Irina
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20 : 2] + 9 = 11 > 9 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20 : 10] + 9 = 19
Evasion Check: [d20 : 18] + 4 = 22
19 < 22 → Success!

Duvessa tried not to look nervous as several people filed in. She caught sight of her friends and couldn't resist to wave to them. But then catching sight of Irina, she wondered if that was bad news . She fervently hoped to have a private one, so no one would get too much upset over loosing. So that there would be no yells of encouragmenet to them, so the other would feel hopeless. That was certainly how she felt on that muggle school Sports Day, as the "loony" trailed behind in the jeerings and booings. She was going to make sure that this did not happen.

"Keep it civil, you lot." She remarked, before turning around to face the two duelists. Irina raised her wand, and an unmistkable cry of the Green Sparks Charm was shot out. In a nick of time, Cai dodged, however, and avoided the green blow. Next, it was Cai's go. She performed a Lavitation Charm, which was effective. Irina dodged, but was unfrotunately out of luck because Cai's spell hit her squarely. The girl began to hover in the air. Well, that duel was on round 1 and was already interesting!

She looked up, wondering how long it would last.

Dueling Information

1. You have 1 week from this post's timestamp to owl me your action and write an entrance (200 word min, please).
2. Send the action to Duvessa Ember.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. Your stats or abilities are not locked as this is an unnofficial duel.
5. I rolled a dice on Discord, Caoimhe will go first on even numbers; thus Irina on odd
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to DM or owl me.
7. I am new to this. So, if you spot any errors or mistakes, don't be afraid to correct me!
8. Good luck, and have fun!

Sun. 16th April 2023

┊--------------------A SNAKE & HER PREY--------------┊

Fourth Floor, Dueling Club

Her swift, precise wrist movements evoked the fluidity and precision associated with a viper, garnering to why she had been associated with the moniker of "The Vipress."

Her investigation into the mysterious potentials of her cherry-wood wand proved to have paid off this round. Perhaps that was her problem in the beginning; Caoimhe wasn't aware of it's strange properties, so she didn't treat her wand with the reverence it so deserved. Now that she recognized the power in her hand, she owed an element of her spell's success to her conduit. Despite Irina's attempt to avoid, she'd hit a perfectly casted spell against her due to her wand and her restless pursuit of refining her wandwork.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Caoimhe would utter with malice in her voice as she directed her wand towards Irina, forcing her to float futilely midair. At that very same moment, Caoimhe would become aware of the green sparks of the Verdimillious charm hastening towards her. The young lady would deftly dodge the charm with such grace one would think she were dancing on the piste, just before she smirked at the spectators. In that split second, she saw all of her friends' lovely faces and was appreciative of their support. This would have been the case for all spectators, except a blonde-haired girl who was fawning over Leveret before moving on to Colin. Gross.

However, when she followed Avery's and Colin's gaze, she would discover Harlan clad out in Slytherin colors. Harlan donning the colors of her house, despite her opponent being a member of his house, was an unusual sight for Caoimhe, but she would send a wink in his direction in correspondence.

Whether she won or lost, this was a significant advancement for the aspiring duelist; however, Caoimhe only expressed her desire to duel today Duvessa and Harlan out of dread of failure. Caoimhe had no notion how the news of her duel would spread to the rest of the group on their first day back from holiday, but her popularity may have exceeded her expectations. Her hazel eyes returned to Leveret with an uneasy sensation in her stomach; seeing him now, after all she had discovered left her with conflicting emotions. Surely she should share her father's disdain for the Leverets after learning of their  injustice against the Ministry, but did she actually loathe him? Could she?

Duvessa's warning to the crowd would draw her interest away from the throng and back towards the afloat Irina, suspended helplessly like prey. Caoimhe canceled the enchantment she had placed on Irina's attire with a swift flick of her wand, causing the Gryffindor girl to plummet to the ground with great force.

"Oops, sorry," Caoimhe spoke with a newfound sense of confidence, but she was keen to avoid being too cocky and performative, allowing her powerful spellcasting to do most of the speaking for her. Irina was a good opponent, but Caoimhe's swift reflexes would outmatch Irina's charm this time.

Hopefully, her success would persist in the second round.

WC ┊ --/200

┊ CASUAL ATTIRE ┊ HAIRSTYLE ┊
┊ TAGS @Duvessa Ember, @Irina Shevel & @Everyone here┊
┊ ENGLISH #9b83a1 ┊ FRENCH #5c8890 ┊ ARABIC #5b8f89 ┊

Action sent as strategized

Interacting with @Caoimhe Kyle
Mentioning @Mahlioz Evethisawe and @Avery Leveret

Speech: Cayenne
Thoughts: Teal

The power and connection Irina felt with her wand, when casting the Verdimillious spell, was exhilerating. It coursed through her body in waves and caused her to smile, simply enjoying the bond. She had never gone out of her way to feel more connected with it, never practiced for duels and competitions as she already felt as one with her wand.
She had kinda known she wasn't going to do well in this duel - afterall, she knew very limited spells, was up against someone who had clearly practiced and was surrounded by no one but the opponents house! She wasn't entirely sure how focused they all were though. One of the Slytherin boys (she thought might have been called Avery) had given her a short glance, but besides that, they weren't paying much attention to the duel.

All exhileration and excitement left her as she heard Caoimhe cast her spell. Her voice dripped with malice and Irina immedietly realised her opponent wasn't playing for fun . . . she was playing to win. For the first time since beginnign at Hogwarts, Irina wondered if there was some truth to the old whispers that Slytherins were most likely to become Dark Wizards. She immedietly shook this thought out of her head, bringing images of Mahlioz to mind and a reminder that prejudices were stupid. She had to focus on the duel.

Her body was tense, with the thought of danger filling every crevice and causing her to act unconciously, without hesitation. She cast the spell just as Caoimhe's hit her hard in the chest. It hurt more than she thought it would, but the pain was immedietly replaced by a weightless, helpless feeling. She was floating! It was kinda fun to be hovering midair, and as she hung there, immobile, she realised that winning wasn't necessarily beating the Slytherin at the duel . . . victory could come in other ways.
Irina thought about Caoimhe's words and actions, saw the nervous glances towards Avery and the other Slytherins in the crowd. 'She doesn't want to lose face!' Irina thought. It gave her a pang to realise she'd have to stoop to the Slytherin's level and be cruel, but she wasn't just going to lie down and let her walk all over her!

She twisted in midair and began swimming, casually breaststroking and waving cheerily at the watching Slytherins. 'Maybe I can lighten the mood and get a few laughs!'
Suddenly the weightlessness ceased and she fell to the floor with a sickening thud. The air was knocked from her lungs and she struggled to breathe. Stars spiralled before her eyes, her mouth was open but she couldn't take in any air! Finally, she was able to take in a shuddering breathe and haul herself off of the floor. The pain was hidden as she stared at the Slytherin, anger coursing through her veins. It was a game, a duel! Not some righteous, honourable, life-or-death situation and she wasn't liking this girl's apparent desire for cruelty and malice.

Straightening up, Irina looked Caoimhe dead in the eye and gave a cold smile. "Trying to injure me now? That's a bit of a low move, don't you think? It makes for a false victory. No honour or glory in that! Just cowardly."

Irina didn't care about winning anymore - she just wanted to get this over with and prove to everyone watching that there were other ways to achieve victory.

✤ Round 2 ✤

✤ Caoimhe VS Irina ✤

Caoimhe casts Tarantallegra on Irina
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20 : 3] + 7 = 10 > 6 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20 : 3] + 9 = 12
Evasion Check: [d20 : 17] + 4 = 21
12 < 21 → Miss!

✤ Irina VS Caoimhe ✤

Irina casts Wingardium Laviosa on Caoimhe
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20 : 4] + 5 = 9 > 9 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20 : 9] + 5 = 14
Evasion Check: [d20 : 20] + 9 = 29
14 < 29 → Miss!

One by one, more snakes seemed to file in. Duvessa said nothing, concentrating on the duel. She looked at Cai and gave her a nod to see if she was ready to perform the spell.
"Tarantallegra!" She called, and the spell was fired from the tip of her wand. It was managed perfectly, but Irina seemed to be alert. She ducked effectively, and that was the symbol of her go.

To Duvessa's surprise, the Gryffindor cried the exact same spell. The Dancing Feet spell seemed popular, and she wondered if it would hit Kee. But, it seemed that Kee was also ready and managed to dodge in a nick of time. There it was, both spells cast but neither girls harmed from this round. And judging by Irina's challenging comments, she was ready to fight. But knowing her best friend, Kee was equally determined.

The dark haired Slytherin nodded and made sure that no one was hurt (luckily no one was this time) and so far the opponents seemed to be ready and fresh as every. So far. She called out to the two girls:
"Next round then! Try not to kill each other." She added faintly as the next round commenced.

Dueling Information

1. You have 1 week from this post's timestamp to owl me your action and write an entrance (200 word min, please).
2. Send the action to Duvessa Ember.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. Your stats or abilities are not locked as this is an unnofficial duel.
5. I rolled a dice on Discord, Caoimhe will go first on even numbers; thus Irina on odd
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to DM or owl me.
7. I am new to this. So, if you spot any errors or mistakes, don't be afraid to correct me!
8. Good luck, and have fun!

Speech: Cayenne
Thoughts: Teal

Interacting with @Caoimhe Kyle, mentioning @Avery Leveret

Irina held her breath as Caoimhe readied herself opposite her. With the speed of a striking snake, she raised her wand and shouted, "Tarantallegra!" The spell shot towards Irina and she took one step to the side, watching it fly inches from her face before turning back to face her opponent.
Not letting herself dwell on her near escape, she had already raised her own wand and yelled, "Tarantallegra!"

Unsurprisingly, Caoimhe was able to dodge the spell with the poise and grace she had shown throughout the entire duel. Irina stood breathing steadily, exhilerated, her eyes locked on Caoimhe's. 'Could we have been friends?'
It was a distracting thought but as Irina's brain had about a million thoughts flying through her head every second, she did nothing to stop it.

The truth was, she admired Caoimhe's skill with her charms, and she certainly had a certain elegance rarely seen in First Years. She herself was more chaotic, probably just as skilled if given the same training, but prone to agility and accuracy in the moments rather than show. She didn't mind; in fact Irina rather enjoyed being the slightly clumsy person in the group, but faced with a beautiful and majestic opponent, it suddenly caused her to feel embarressed.
'No,' she thought angrily, mentally giving her head a shake, 'That's the sort of thing to think about after the duel.'

Irina's brain flitted from one topic to the next, waiting for something to happen and finally finding itself once again on the Slytherin spectators. Her curiosity had been aroused by the constant whispering as well as Caoimhe's furtive looks towards Avery in particular. Irina wasn't sure how she felt about him - from what she had seen, he was snobbish and aloof, but then again she hadn't even spoken to him before.
Forgetting where she was for a moment, she turned her head to stare at the Slytherin boy, a look of intrigue on her face as she studied him, trying to gain a deeper understanding of who he might be. 'It would be fun to properly meet him, learn more about who he is; he seems like a pretty interesting guy!'

With a jolt, she remembered she was in the middle of a duel, openly staring at her opponent's . . . friend? She gave a small jump, whipping her head away and turning her head once again to face Caoimhe. Feigning a continued readiness, she gave a broad grin and raised her wand once more.

"Your move!" she said without menace.