An Afternoon's Entertainment PV closed

Interacting with: @Avery Leveret @Raizel Voltrouz @Clark Baird @Donald Fish
Mentioning:@Dealla Prince @Fang Hui-Ming

What the actual heck! Why in Arthur's good name did Hui-Ming and Avery dodge! Why couldn't one out of the four of them hit the damn boys? Bea watched as both her and Raizel's spells went wide and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Eyeing her partner, she wanted to make sure Raizel was okay, but more importantly, enjoying herself. This was technically her first duel that Bea knew of. She hadn't heard of any others through the Hogwarts duelling grapevine.

"We got this Rai. No matter how much duelling experience those two Snakes have." Bea knew the girl would probably be upset her spell missed, and rightly so. Bea was as well. It would have made at least part this duel easier. It also would have been good to impress Dee. Although she wasn't Bea's duelling captain anymore, she was a wise and victorious duelling champion, full of duelling knowledge. The older girl had also nicknamed Bea her grandprefect. Bea badly wanted to impress her, in at least one area of her schooling life.

The only saving grace in this whole thing - at least the Badger team had also gone for the snakes. Bea had been worried they would be the first team targeted, but this was better. A strong united front against the green machines of Slytherin. Bea curled her lip in amusement at the badgers, shouting out with a grimace, "Pity we missed! Better luck next time yeah!" Her grimace turned to a snarl against Avery. The boy couldn't leave well enough alone. Bea supposed in the back of her mind, that some of the people in the room would be shocked at her demeanor. But in honesty, she was a competitive sort. "Your wand not working Leveret? Pity, it will just make this much easier." Bea smirked, "What do they say, dodging is for cowards?"

It was certainly worth a shot trying to go for a second year student although deep inside, Raizel knew that her spell wouldn't find its mark. Not to mention, this is Ying's brother. His sister is talented and it won't be surprising if he is too. Frustrating in a way but seeing the skills of other students was fascinating, even Beatrice, although her spell missed its target. The badger team were also good with their spellcasting but much like theirs, they missed and Avery looked quite awesome with that flawless dodging. "That was cool." She uttered with a grin before looking over to Dealla when she heard her call out to her.

"I am working on it!" Raizel responded to her. "We should actually practice some more. Maybe then I can show you that I've improved!" She smiled at the older student. Raizel doesn't know if she has improved since their last practice though but she sure would like to try that again at some point, especially against the older students or just against Dealla once again. There is a part of her that wanted to impress this 4th year student with her progress. Is it due to how she kind of looks up to her? Maybe. One thing is certain though, she didn't learn her lesson after their first practice session despite how painful that was for her. This 1st year is insane in her own way.

Dueling is always fun for the first year Gryffindor even though the duelists are… merciless. Despite her wanting to have fun, there seems to be a lingering grudge from a couple of participants in this game, minor grudges perhaps? Or maybe, they are all just hungry for victory. There's just tension in the air. Everyone is just serious in this for some reason. It is a competition and it would be wrong if one doesn't go all out. She should probably focus herself and not be a burden to her dueling partner, try to go for victory much like everyone else. She turned towards her partner, hearing her speak. Words of encouragement, she'll take it.

"Of course." Raizel responded to Bea, looking at the other team. After hearing her response to Avery though, she can't help but wonder what their history is. Avery said something to her as well before the duel started. "You two sure are getting along well." The girl simply muttered, snickering. For her, it looked like friendly banter. She isn't exactly on bad terms with Avery and she likes Bea. It'd be fun to see people she knows and likes in good terms with each other even though it might not be the case with these two.

Action: As Strategized

The first volley of casting left the Chinese-born Slytherin with a mix of emotions; surprise being the largest of them. As a second-year in the dueling circuit, he had had a reputation and was used to being singled out in duels, lest he wreak too much havoc upon the other kids. But to have each team target one of the Slytherins...

It was both flattering and infuriating to be judged the biggest threat on the board, in the presence of the clearly older kid. But perhaps he was not all that much of a threat, given that Leveret had danced out of the way of the oncoming barbs with fluid grace. Unsurprisingly, Leveret then proceeded to shoot a joke right back at the Hufflepuffs, social butterfly that he was,

Miss Pr- Deala made a wry comment about aiming. "While you're giving out hints, Dealla, perhaps you should also tell them not to throw away their wands," he shot back at her, poker-faced; a jab at his own experience with their current moderator. Even as he spoke, though, his dark eyes flitted between his contemporaries, looking for viable strategies. There was an opening here somewhere. A weakness to exploit, an opening to force through. Where was it?

Was it the older Puff? The Baird kid? Or was it Langsreth or her young partner?

Perhaps the opening was somewhere else entirely?

wc: 229| Hui-Ming's Hex: #556B2F

ROUND TWO

Information
Pls read at least once

Reducio

• You have one week (7 days or 168 hours or 10080 minutes) from my moderation post to make your RP post and owl me your actions. This isn't an official duel, hence 200 words. I also won't immediately void your actions if you're a tad late, just like, let me know if you can't make it or something. I'll mod as soon as all actions and posts are in, I like speedy duels. The faster the better. Go go go.
• I grabbed your stats and spells from your trunks, what you have is what you get, further changes will be ignored.
• Important: Duelling rules!
• Teeny tiny rules adjustments:
  • When your character falls below 10%, I will have Dee call them off the duel rather than RP them falling unconscious. This is not an official duel, there is no medical attention beyond Dee's (meager) healing skills.
  • Fumos clarification: The smoke affects four randomly chosen, conscious players (can include caster). All other spells should be clear even with the increased number of players. If there are questions, come yell at me.
• Pls direct any mistakes or questions to my answering machine my owls or Discord DMs (mci#6443).
• Have fun or something.

A bit of banter, or perhaps insults, was going on between the contestants in one of those short breaks between spells. Dee raised an eyebrow at Raizel but winked, not unwilling to spend a bit more time flinging spells at the girl. Or showing her what it looked like when someone knew how to dodge. Ming received a more open grin. "I will if any of them decides that's a good course of action," she replied easily.

Then the next spells started coming... but there were even fewer than before. The badgers had simply decided to try the exact same thing again. Two wands aimed at Avery the slippery snake, spell choices making Dee wonder whether she was stuck in a deja vu. Yet, it didn't go quite the same way. Donald's spell came out unusually powerful, bright and fierce. But perhaps some of the care that had gone into casting should have been put into his aim instead, because the spell came nowhere near it's target. It seemed slightly off already, and Avery slipped out of its path easily.

Clark's spell, on the other hand, went absolutely nowhere. It didn't even make it out of his wand. Despite the boy's usual overzealous bearing, the flames only fizzled at the tip of his wand, then went out. Dee sniffed. Yeah, not a duellist.

Across from them, Bea and Raizel had made some changes to their strategy. Beatrice had switched to casting a knockback jinx, a choice Dee wasn't quite convinced by at this stage of the duel. It veered wildly off-mark, so far past Hui-Ming that the boy probably wouldn't even have had to move to evade it. Raizel on the other hand... did nothing. Nothing that Dee could discern, at least. She hummed, not impressed. What were these kids doing? Had she been like that in her first duels?

Her gaze wandered over to the Slytherin side of the field, contemplative. She couldn't fault their choices at the start of the duel, clearly, they had anticipated what was coming. Yet she wondered if they regretted not taking their chance to cast now, with only two spells coming at them, neither of them particularly well-aimed. You didn't win by solely dodging.

Dee scratched her head, brows furrowed. She'd anticipated chaos. Instead, so far, this was likely the most boring duel she'd ever watched over. Perhaps they did need more of her ever-so-helpful advice.

It would only be the unfortunate end that would come back and bite Clark in the butt. No other force on Earth would love Clark as much as his boyfriend, Gabriel, did. He dreamily thought about his Knight In Shining Armor, and how much Clark would just miss him if he decided that he no longer wanted to hang out with someone as cool and amazing and cute as Clark.

As always, it would result in a moment of despair, and it was something that Clark would find unfortunate. But he would think deeply about how much he wanted to have Gabriel back again, how much he wanted to meet with him. It wasn't like they were restricted- held back anymore- who else would want to stop Clark from his almighty actions of love?

Professor McLoughin knew how much Clark wanted to get dragon dung, due to the number of times that he had broken in. Clark knew it would've likely had gone up. Without subconsiously realizing it, he had withdrawn his wand again, and weakly performed the wand movement for Incendio, and horribly- but quietly- said the incantation. "Incendio."

And when nothing happened, except for fizzling at the tip of the wand, he had realized that he should've paid more attention.

He really wasn't a born duellist, and unless he had gotten more practice, or perhaps stop skipping classes, he would've done better. Maybe it would've also incorporated his lack of attention. It's sad that Gabriel really was a dreamboat.

• REPRESENT, SLYTHERIN REPRESENT •

A Sunny Afternoon In May| Fourth Floor, Duelling Club
wc: 244
Avery's Hex #136b5c

· || ────────────────── ────────────────── || ·

┏		┓
	----- He wore a most elegant poise, always, but he had particular grace and excellence in his countenance today. It was true enough that dodging didn’t win games, but at this rate he suspected that there wasn't a strategic bone in either of the opposing teams’ duos. Clark and the Ginger had again tried to strike him; the first offering a pathetic fizzle of flame from his wand and the second was so telegraphed that Avery considered if it was worth taking a short break to hold afternoon tea. – Almost idly, he had leaned out of the way as he considered the rest of the field and how it was unfolding. True enough, the Ravenclaw had targeted Fang Hui-Ming again too, and her team-mate Raizel had adopted a more careful approach; though no spells were sent her way. Now there’s an idea… Ming had deftly avoided the slung spell, having spent this round in a similarly evasive mindset. Perhaps it was time for the tides to turn, Avery thought. His ebon eyes flicked between the beastly Clark and his team and the Eaglions, seeking to find a weakness to exploit with pressure. “Pathetic isn’t it, Mister Fang?” He gave, loudly. “I hadn’t thought this a two versus four but I suppose we make do; when life gives you pumpkins, or something or other.” He quipped idly, though rarely were his words not carefully chosen; Avery was weary and he found this to be increasingly, uninspired.
┗		┛

Action: As Strategized

Mod Ping:@Dealla Prince

They say insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. Well, sign this boy up because Hui-Ming just repeated the actions of the last round, and lo and behold, here was progress.

An iridic gleam, the smallest of raised eyebrows. And Mr Leveret seems to have caught it at the same moment as he did, for the younger Slytherin addressed him. An interesting way to go about it, though mayhaps Hui-Ming sense an edge of frustration and boredom in his partner.

Oh, that would not do at all. Perhaps it was time to shift gears.

"When life gives you pumpkins," he said tonelessly, flicking his wand from his dominant left hand to his right hand with perhaps a little more flair than was strictly necessary. "You chuck it at the moderator, and turn a fruitless situation into a smashing success."

The smallest tilt of his head, the ghost of a smile. If Mr Leveret was all that he suspected, the youngest Prefect in this duel would have no problem in following his thought process, and would react exactly as Hui-Ming needed him to. It would not do to tip their hand too early, and their actions needed to be precise. and calculated

It was time to take this duel by the horns.

wc: 218| Hui-Ming's Hex: #556B2F

Interacting with: @Dealla Prince @Fang Hui-Ming @Avery Leveret @Raizel Voltrouz
Mentioning: @Clark Baird @Donald Fish

Bea raised an eyebrow at the two Slytherins? What was their game? Dodging for a second time in a row? Questions and no answers filtered though her mind, and it was evidently clear on her face that she thought the two were up to no good. At least the badgers were straightforward in their approach. Knock out one of the opposing teams. Sweet, simple and a sure0fire bet.

Bea would take all that she could get. Clark, the pint-sized boy seemed to have it out for Avery. He was particularly vicious in his countenece towards the other boy. Luckily his partner seemed to balance him out. He was determined, and excelled it seemed at spellcasting. Maybe something about being older? He sure didn't seem to be young enough to be a second year... Back to the spell he'd cast though. She
made a mental note about his prowess with a wand. If he had just corrected his aim, Avery would have been flat on his back by now, the flipendo that strong. All well. Next time. Bea hoped there would be a next time. It wouldn't do well for the other teams to come for her. It would be better to focus on others.

Bea rolled her eyes at the snakes banter. Metaphors and insinuations. She wasn't going to comment on the 2 against 4. It would be prudent not to. Just keep all the attention on the Slytherins. A short laugh left Beas lips, and she shook her head Avery and Hui-Ming. "Surely you'll debuff them yourself Dee, if they try something with you. Slippery Slytherins." Bea flicked her eyes over to the older girl in question. She looked positively bored about the recent spell exchange, or really lack-thereof. Bea also knew, without question, that Dee could and would handle herself if something came for her. "Can't believe you'd do something to poor Dee!" This she addressed to the Slytherins. They'd do well to remember why Ravenclaws team was Murder of Merlin.