Closed Fall Ball 2023 Lanterns and Boat Rides

The Entrance ~ Lookout ~ Expedition ~ Gondolier ~ Seahawk
Capsized ~ Gambit ~ Instinct ~ Landfall ~ Lashback ~ Envenomed

@Marietta Griffis, @Pericles Dralt & @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Calming Presence in Effect;
All Student Entrees & Beast Master Familiars Affected

Piérre didn't have to be told twice to hold on tightly to the girl when he learned that the ascension spell would be cast upon them both. With a tight nod and a deep breath that was more shuddering than calming, the green eyes of the boy set as sharply as bottle glass. "Okay... You don't have to tell me twice." He trailed off. There were few people that the boy could say with much certainty that he trusted, but Peri was one of them. If things went well, they could all get out of here, thanks to a thought that the boy himself was definitely not smart enough to consider on his own.

Yew wand at the ready, Piérre was prepared to knock away any of the nasties that could have attempted to reach out and snag any of their party. As it turned out, though, no such event would occur, and Piérre instead latched on tighter to both the girl and Pericles so as not to be left behind. Feeling choked ever so slightly by the cloak at his neck as they rose, Piérre's hands briefly flicked to his throat, undoing the clasp there and alleviating the drag that had once been there from the mass of feathers and heavy fabrics that had made up the material. It would sink down and down into the depths to become a very nice item of clothing for the great squid Herman to play with, probably. The only thing he had brought with him now, of the things that he had lost to the water beneath, was the enchanted satchel that was strapped to his hip and right leg and the hag stone that was hanging about his neck from its leather necklace.

"Aw man..." He mourned only ever so briefly. "Goodbye cloak, I guess." He held on tighter. He didn't much feel like following after it, after all.

Bobbing on the surface, Piérre found himself pleasantly surprised to find that the help of the Ascension Charm was doing most of the work of keeping him afloat for him. Eyes brightening ever so slightly, Piérre childishly splashed the water with a small grin. Hey... this was kind of fun! If it weren't... so cold, that was. With Peri's help, Piérre did his best to 'doggy-paddle' his way along, sticking his legs down every now and again until he could finally feel something semi-solid beneath his feet before he let out a deep sigh and then grabbed onto the mainland with his entire body as if it would suddenly fall out from beneath him at a moment's notice. "Land... sweet, sweet land..." He was getting his face all muddy and his bare torso was a mess, but he was alive and blessedly so.

His eyes flicked to Pericles. "Yeah... I think so. Thank you again, Peri." There was a part of him that was mere fraying threads away from bursting into full ugly-crying mode, that familiar sinking in the chest and the gratefulness for being alive that was swooping over him in a wave of lethargy. "I'm... not a good swimmer... I probably would have... if you hadn't... Well, it hasn't been the first time, I guess." Unfinished sentences, sentences in general, were not Piérre's strong suit. But, as he had been up to this point, he was more worried about the girl that he had drug into all of this. "And... I'm... are you okay?" He queried sheepishly."I didn't think that there were going to be monsters that wanted to help us with a permanent residence in Atlantis..."

The incantation of a spell caught Piérre's attention again, and he watched as Pericles had his attention fixed on the boat that his fellow Ravenclaw was nearby. Ohhhhh. Yeah, that was smart!

Wading a bit into the water again, not too far lest he lose his footing and become panicked once more by the potential of drowning again, Piérre was ready to receive the boat when it came in. As always Peri's spellcasting was perfect, very unlike the distractable boy's own on average, and Piérre directed the boat in when it was close enough to be grabbed. "I got it, Peri! Don't worry about it!" So saying, he did his best to drag the thing by its bow onto land, grinding it on the lake bottom slightly until he was sure that it wouldn't slip back out to the lake any time soon. A flash of movement caught his eye, causing curious green to alight for the briefest of movement on a ripple of water out in the lake that had looked like a small splash had been made there. Huh... weird...

Extending his hand to the Ravenclaw duelist, Piérre smiled broadly with as much moxie as he could muster. "Uh, here." Nobody could blame him for at least trying to be a gentleman and help her down from the boat, could they?

He looked out over the lake again, shivering ever so slightly as he rubbed his bare arms and crossed them over his bare chest. It was always drowning, wasn't it? And that thing he had seen, that seemed to keep following him as consistently as the ill omens that trailed wherever it was that he stepped or spoke with... A walking bad luck charm. Was there anyone else left out there? If there were, at least he could be there to receive them. Dripping wet, freezing cold as his breath puffed out clouds and his teeth clacked together... he really did look not terribly unlike a wet cat.

Well... it had been a Hogwarts Fall Ball for certain. It could go right down in history with the rest of them.

Standing in the Shallows of the Lake, Considering rolling Dice with Signora Fortuna Again, but Ready to Help Others when they come in

Interactions ❯❯ @Zach Zaphiere | @ | @
Mentions ❯❯ @Alyssea Brown | @Piérre Marchonné as Romeo Marchonné | @

❂《 ⌜ October 6, 2023 ▎ 19:00 ⌟

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Wand at the ready! A flash illuminated the waters below, a sight that was enough for Raizel to see Zach fire off a spell towards whatever creature had taken hold of him. Perfect. With the creature gone, she could focus on getting him out. "Swish and flick, right?" She uttered, recalling one of the first ever spells she had learned last year. She rarely use this and just thinking about it was enough to ignite that excitement to finally have a reason to do so. It was like she didn't just fall off the boat and almost drowned.

"Wingar-" she paused as a big splash came into view, surprising her enough to make her lean back. "A merman?!" That was her immediate reaction upon seeing the image of a man breeching out of the surface of the freezing water below. It was dark, she couldn't see him properly, her only light was extinguished when she fell into those waters. As much as she would like to stare and confirm her suspicions, she remembers her friend is still down there. "Ah! There's no time for this!"

Indeed, there wasn't. Zach was still in the waters and here she is admiring a mysterious person. Then again, she can't help but be intrigued. A swish and then a flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!" A nicely casted levitation spell. She waited until Zach was within her reach to pull him close to the boat, sighing in relief.

The waters are still, calmer than when they initially arrived here. Only a couple of splashes can be heard here and there but she is safe to assume that things are alright now. "That was an unexpected swim but we're alive." She told Zach with a smile. She was trembling from the cold and from all the tension. She won't say she wasn't scared but one need to have courage when faced in situations like this and fight fear. "C'mon, let's go back. Maybe we can find Alyssea somewhere over there." She gave the boy a pat on the back, a bright grin on her face. Despite the life threatening situation, a smile wouldn't hurt and it keeps the spirit up that's for sure.

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⌜ Lanterns and Boat Rides ⌟ | ⌜ WC: 365/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #800000

INVENTORY

Outfit Reducio

Items Reducio Wand Enchanted Satchel Potions: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons, Muffling Draught

Action: Gonna look for the girl who left us behind

Laughing in a concerning matter and suppressing recently received trauma with:
@Piérre Marchonné, @Pericles Dralt & @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt
Stamina:8 | Evasion:8 | Strength:3 | Wisdom:7 | Arcane power:7 | Accuracy:7

IC Date: October 6, 2023
Time: evening
Interacting with @Renelle Dalton, @Rodney Hughes, @Eun-ji Lee Hunt, @Pericles Dralt, @Piérre Marchonné
Astra speaking: #136323
Renelle speaking: #00002b
Thoughts: Italics
Others: #theirhex

Thank God. First of all, for the older Ravenclaw who had helped Astra and Renelle pull Rodney into the boat. For her apparent medical ability and her level-headedness while the two terrified first years shivered. Second, for the boy on shore who had accioed them out of this miserable lake and to shore. And third, for the Phantom of the Opera, whose face was still fresh in Astra's mind after the dungeon debacle, who provided the cherry on top of this (shockingly) nice turn of events.

Astra's legs were not quite working right. She stumbled out of the boat. She had not done that in years. Her balance was typically as close to perfect as one spastic eleven year old could get.

Astra felt her heartbeat acutely, thudding in her ears and chest and every extremity she possessed. The sounds around felt... muffled, as if she we're still underwater.

Underwater

Under

The

Water

She squeezed her eyes closed, kneeling down in the grass.

in

out

in...

out...

Be brave. You are brave.

Her mind was blank but seemed to be straining for... Something. Anything.

You are a survivor. You won't let this get you down.

You can't let this get you down.

Already, her encounter with the grindylow was getting fuzzy.

She turned to Renelle, wherever she was. "Are-" The first word sounded more like the noise of a half-strangled ferret than a word. Astra swallowed hard, cleared her throat. "Are you all right, Renelle?" Soft but serious. Dead serious.

She didn't have plans of ever going into that lake again. Except to kill every single grindylow if Renelle had somehow gotten hurt in the chaos.

Indeed, in the chaos, she had almost forgotten Mahlioz and her own words and the problem. It was already being locked away with a handful of other memories that for some reason Astra could only remember in dreams, and even then could never recall in wakefulness. This entire night, she supposed, would go into the Vault, leaving behind nothing but a stained dress, a strained friendship, and severe aquaphobia for reasons unknown to future Astra.

Her airways felt clogged, though they were completely free.

in

out

She looked up at the older year girl, the one in the gorgeous red dress. "Will Rodney be okay?" she asked hoarsely, concern evident on her face. It would be strange, to anyone who would have seen her before, to note any expression besides mischief or elation on the redhead's face: indeed few had seen even those. Usually she was a blank paper, unreadable.

But tonight. Tonight a lot of things were different.

Interacting with @Astra Norrick, @Piérre Marchonné and @Marietta Griffis
Mentioning @Eun-ji Lee Hunt, @Renelle Dalton, @Rodney Hughes, Hiro (@Kim Sato)

"Aw man.... Goodbye cloak, I guess." Pi had been wise enough to drop the dragging fabric, but still innocent enough to smile and splash when they reached the surface. Peri smirked, though the expression was strained while they swam, reassuring "Don't worry. We'll get it back. An Accio might do the trick, even... I'm not so sure the merfolk would pull it off." Nothing like a little banter in the midst of chaos: they had survived so many monstrous situations, that by now, wisecracks along the way were a fitting coping mechanism. Piérre brought back the gravity of the situation as he admitted, "I'm... not a good swimmer... I probably would have... if you hadn't...." Pericles shook his head sternly at the implication, glad that particular sentence was left unfinished. "We've held out through worse, haven't we? Besides, that would have been too anticlimactic of a curtain call for you, if you ask me. Let's plan for swimming lessons when the weather's warmer."

"And... I'm... are you okay?" Pericles hadn't thought on it. His concerns were far from himself: someone who willingly leapt into the water, went unscathed by the grindylows, and made it back to shore in one piece. The impact of witnessing (and risking) it all hadn't been processed. He looked puzzled, thoughts so far from his own well-being that the question caught him off guard. "I'm-" "Oh yeah! I'm great! mmmhm! Positively wonderful!" Marietta had broken free from shock. Her raw sobs, the way she closed her hands over her head, longing for shelter and self-soothing, only to erupt into laughter- the pressure was too immense for someone so young to shoulder. She was cracking under it. Peri's face twisted with worry and pity, but he hid it just as quickly, honing his focus on the boat carrying Eun-ji. "We need Calming Draughts," the Ravenclaw muttered to no one in particular. Strategizing the next solution was his method of coping. The sooner boats were brought to shore, the quicker they could start herding students to the infirmary wing.

His gaze had remained fixated on the boat, reinforcing every ounce of his will so as not to let it slip. Whatever Eun-ji was doing was lost on him until they came a little closer, and when it registered, Pericles felt a lurch in his chest. Someone was unconscious in the boat. "I got it, Peri! Don't worry about it!" As Piérre moved to drag the boat onto the muddy shore, Pericles let his arms fall, heaving a sigh that turned to fog in the frigid air. Adrenaline staved off any indication of fatigue, but once it wore off later, the exhaustion would hit him like a train. "Thank you," he breathed. With a weak grin he added, "Just, mind your step, yeah?" It was the pause he needed, but the Ravenclaw was reluctant to relax so soon. There was still more to be done.

As Astra stumbled from the boat, he reached to steady her, murmuring a low "Easy. Have a sit. This will all be over soon." He heard her question for Eun-ji about the boy in the boat and listened for an answer with a grim frown. Ravenclaw's healer was a wonder, but out here, she could only do so much. The boy he'd spied her with at the start of it all arrived, giving well-earned praise and offering assistance, so Peri turned towards the girl now sitting cross-legged. He trudged through the muck with wand in hand, kneeling in the mud at her side and following her attention out onto the water. "I thought I heard you mention a cat," he recalled, speaking gently, as though she were a delicate thing on the verge of shattering. "Would you point your boat out to me? We'll bring him over, just as I've done with the other one, alright?"

Action: Casting Accio on the boat holding Marietta's kitty to bring it ashore

Reducio

﴾ Stamina - 10 | Evasion - 12 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 11 | ArcPower - 10 | Accuracy - 14 ﴿
Perfectionist, Keen Eye, Perfectionist II, Spell Spread, Animagus

Post Tracker: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII

Colin McCoire wrote: 22 Nov 2023, 02:21

Reducio

The stars high above, in the darkening sky, reflected off the surface of the lake's inky waters. They danced merrily, diamonds upon smooth velvet, and the gentle sounds of the lake were in Colin's ears. And more: the sounds of him and Clair chatting; the feel of her lips on his as they kissed from time to time. They talked about nothing much. Just silly things! It was if here, on this lake, and in this little boat, nothing evil could touch them, no trauma could darken their hearts!

Colin's heart soared!

But there were other sounds to be heard, and other things to be seen.

All around their boat, voices could be heard: shouts for help, shouts of rescue! Splashes of water, cries, alarms and spells being cast! Arms were flailing all around in the water. It was as if some great ocean going vessel had been attacked and was sinking, and so many people were thrown overboard into the merciless and depthless waters! Their cries and the voices of their rescuers echoed on all sides, and somewhere deep in Colin's brain, he heard them.

He kissed Clair again. They talked about the stars and how Colin had never actually rowed a boat before.

For his part, Greebo napped, happily curled up in Clair's lap.

The sounds of other things came to Colin's mind. From his reading into magical creatures came descriptions of grindylows, and hadn't that word echoed across the waters too? Clair and Colin's little boat floated upon a most serene sea, one of beauty and delight! A world unto their own, where no monster could invade and no trouble could touch them. Well, apart from a soaked plaid dress! Happily, his warm air charm had cured that little problem!

As Colin's gaze looked upwards, he saw briefly arms splashing in the water and flashes of magic as spells were hurled about. How odd it was, he thought, that here sailing through chaos and trouble, he had no mind for any of it! No desire to do anything other than be with Clair. To sail upon the lake in peace.

Colin looked back into Clair's eyes. Pale in the moonlight.

The sounds of mayhem all around subsided, not in actuality, but simply as an effect of the true magic of love!

Greebo purred. Colin leaned over and kissed Clair again under the light of stars and moon. He held her hand in his.-

Reducio

Colin's got his wand in its sheath strapped to his right arm. He's also got a variety of useful things in his pockets: a hagstone, some choco, a length of thick string with an old brass ring tied to it, a bit of parchment and pencil, and a few other curiosities.

ACTIONS: Kissing and talking with Clair!!

@Clair Fernandez

Outfit	Inventory
Reducio	Reducio Enchanted satchel in effect Wand Wizard Camera (filled with film) Tyty (Zach's typewriter) Papers Diary Black Quill Ink Potions Reducio Antidote to Common Poisons Burn Healing Paste Bruise Removal Paste Murtlap Essence

The only spell that came into his mind was the Banishing Charm, which he learnt autodidactically recently. He pointed his wand towards the force that pulled him deeper into the lake. "Depulso!". He cast the spell with his remaining breath. The spell hit his target successfully and made Zach didn't feel any force that pulled him deeper. However, he felt another force that pulled him again but this time, it pulled him to the surface instead of deeper into the lake. And it didn't pull him directly, it actually pulled his suit. It made him look like a puppy that his mama dog pulled by his neck.

He was floating slowly to the surface until his head finally could feel the air. He took a deep breath to fill the loss of air in his lungs and floated on the surface of lake with resignation.

Bump!

His head bumped the body of the boat softly. The next thing was someone pulled him to the boat. "Raizel!" He exclaimed the girl's name the saw some drops of water slide from her hair. "Oh! You fell in the water too!" He giggled. Then the boy realized that Raizel might feel uncomfortable. She was trembling. However, the girl still gave him a pat on his back and a smile. The act made this pale boy see that this brown-haired lass was actually very cool. She was more than a girl in his all-black suit.

Zach gave the girl a bright smile and said, "Yeah! Let's go back." The boy took his position quickly and grabbed the paddles. "Uh... Please tell me if I row to the wrong direction. I actually can't see well without my glasses, especially in the darkness." He rowed the boat with water still dripping from his hair.

Interacting with @Raizel Voltrouz
Mentioning Jonathan, the Gryndillow
Action: To the shore! And have a 'talk' with the girl that left us >:(
Abilities: Blindvision