Closed Fall Ball 2023 Lanterns and Boat Rides

Wallflower ~ Whittler ~ Warning ~ White Knight ~ Wrestler ~ Wartime ~ Wrath ~ Whelm

¤ | Ω | ¤

Nec Temere, Nec Timide. Durmstrang Institute's

Romeo Giovanni Marchonné [6'7.5" | 202lbs]

"English." "Italiano. Italian." "Russian."

| Faint Scar on Left Eye & Mangled Right Ear | \ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand, Bite Scar on Forearm / | Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |

Valentin Schnell
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

"GRRRRAAAHHH!" Came my hand as I pummeled the Grindylow right in the head. It stood no chance, its lights were knocked out almost immediately. Still, I wasn't happy with what I had wrought. I was not satisfied with the amount of destruction that I had done to it, not yet. I wanted to bestow further punishment, further warning to its comrades who had been so bold as to strike out against the innocent students that had done nothing to earn their ire and the risk of being drowned and then consumed by them.

My fingers slipped against its scaly body as more Grindylows swarmed it, yanking it away from my punishing hands and into the dark mire. "COWARDS!" I kicked after them briefly, trying to sink further down before the pressure was too much for me and as their superior maneuverability in the water outstripped my own. I was strong, I was capable of endurance and stamina in the waters, but I could realize when I had been beaten in agility and speed. They would retreat, they would escape... but had they really won? Had I really won? "AND DON'T COME BACK." I stop swimming, floating in the cold depths silently for a few moments as the bubbles and water currents settled at last.

I looked up to the skies overhead, the pale light that came from the moon only. Breathing deeply despite the water around me, feeling nothing except for the numb cold on my skin--almost as if I had been placed in a sensory deprivation chamber... There really was nothing else for me to do, was there? In fact, other than those who were closest to me, perhaps it would have made sense to others for me to simply become an element of the Hogwarts Lake myself; of the same curious status of the Giant Squid deep below, invisible to the eye unless it wished to present itself.

I sighed. “Romeo Marchonné… What are we going to do…” I murmured to myself, bringing my knees up to my chest and then crossing my arms over them in a fetal position floating aimlessly in the deep. My heartbeat was ever so slightly in my ears as thoughts whelmed once more over me. Just as they always did. “What can you do, what can you do that will make you happy now? A whole life before you, a plethora of chances and opportunities, so many of which you have pushed aside or rejected–for good reason or for ill you will never know–and look where it has led you at last. Only as useful as the blood in your veins, as precious as the violence you reave, that which you dance with. A body, a shield, a sword’s blade…” I bit my tongue as heat rose to my cheeks. No. None of this bullshit now. None of this touchy-feely crap. “At least you’re good at it. Perhaps when your body runs out people will speak of you for a few months before forgetting. Forgetting for the better.”

Perhaps getting out of the lake before my magically produced bubble lost all air was a good place to start. Uncurling myself from my former stance, I dolphin-kicked once more through the water diagonally towards the surface, ready to breach again and then return to the shoreline to check on the others. They were the important ones in the situation, after all. Making sure that those who could have potentially suffered trauma were being properly cared for and were not suffering hypothermia as this cold weather would bestow upon them. I still had work to do, it seemed; there would be no rest for the wicked.

But there was a slight pale glow that my eye could catch even in the mirk and the mire, an almost halo-like presence off to one side that caught my interest. Potentially another person stuck or drowning. Without a hesitation I was off to investigate, and within a few moments I came upon the person of interest… the duckfluff pale hair and pale violet eyes of Valentin Schnell the albino himself. Before I could enter into panic mode over his presence here as a potential drowner, though, I noted the bubble around his face. He could breathe, at least. That was good.

“Oh thank God you’re alright!” I cried out as I swam in, checking the area for any hazards or anything that I would have to evacuate him from. My hands gently took him under the armpits and I kicked upwards, taking him with me just in case something nasty had had him tangled up or otherwise snagged. It never hurt to have an extra pull on one’s side, after all. “How was I able to guess that you would be down here, huh?” I stated matter-of-factly. “I think I chased off the beasties, at least for the time being. Have you seen anyone else down here that needs help?”

Breaching the water’s surface just as the magic of my bubble starts to fade, I puff a bit and spit some stray lakewater out of my mouth before smiling weakly. “This… was not how I expected my night to go… I…” I hadn’t wanted to come to the ball to begin with, actually. “Well at least the blood is pumping now…”

I had been so worried that Val had somehow gotten himself into trouble that I kept forgetting that I should have known that he would be fine. He had others that cared about him; I wasn’t the only person. I wasn’t his keeper, or at least I shouldn’t be his keeper… or anything else for that matter. If I hadn’t been down there to help him out, someone else would have come instead. Valentin had friends, had people who cared or at least were almost magnetically attracted to him (regardless of heritage or the like). Surely I wasn’t the only one who would have helped him there… who would have gone back for him…

But I still couldn’t shake the fact that I seemed to know that I would have come back for him regardless of if someone else said that I didn’t have to.

I pressed my lips into a firm line before my brows creased and I nodded mostly to myself. “C’mon Val… we should get to land.” I said softly before turning away and then stroking my way on the top of the lake at a slow but steady pace. I would get there eventually, but I also had to keep an eye on Val. He had to get to shore just as much as I did. We would get there safely, together.

As soon as my foot hit the bottom of the lake, I walked out of the lake and then shook my head like a dog, ignoring the chill that threatened to arrest the heart of a person less-suited to the chill than I. I was warm enough, between the red that was still trying to fade itself from my vision and the warmth I had obtained by swimming. I was more concerned with other things. “Is everyone back on shore?” I called out, to everyone and nobody in particular. If someone was missing, if they had a friend here I would hear of it. I would go back without a second thought if someone was missing. Unprompted. “Are adults on the way?” I glanced about with narrow eyes. “On second thought, that doesn’t matter. If they haven’t shown up now they probably won’t show up at all. Who’s banged up the most and who’s cold? I’ll start a fire and start patching people up if they need it.”

Though many probably wouldn’t have guessed it, I was actually a halfway decent healer. More oriented towards emergency medical care, perhaps, but I was still handy with rather impressive healing spells if need be.

Romeo Angrily Returns to Shore with Valentin Schnell
(Player of Valentin has permitted Godmodding)

Reducio

Stats:

Ω Stamina 900/900 | Evasion 9 | Strength 17 (20 OS) Ω
Ω Accuracy 18 (21 MC) | Wisdom 10 | ArcPower 0 Ω

Abilities:

Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω
Ω Muggle Condition Ω

Inventory:

Wand [Redacted]

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

@Marietta Griffis, Hiro Bakugo, @Pericles Dralt, Valentin Schnell, Romeo Marchonné & @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt
@Kim Sato & @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood

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

He hadn’t really known what he was to expect when it came to his gentlemanly act of trying to help the girl down. It had simply appeared to be a highly natural action to anyone who had half a wit towards politeness or kindness, at least to Piérre himself, but it would seem that he would have an entirely different reaction coming as he was whacked upside the head by the girl as she got down for herself. “Ouch, hey!” He complained laughingly as he shielded his head with both hands to deflect any further blows, stumbling back a few steps and then subsequently falling into the water with a light splash. “Okay okay! I get it! At least my feet touch the ground here! I don’t have rabies or anything; I’m not scared of the water, I just can’t swim, okay?”

He crossed his arms, pouting a bit with a stuck-out lower lip for comedic effect before shaking his head and tipping it so as to shake out the rest of the water stuck in his ears. Still, he did let the girl’s words wash over him, especially in the light of the younger girl having had a mental break only moments earlier. A deep frown crossed Piérre’s face, and a small light gleamed in envious green eyes. “I would have let myself drown before I allowed her to.” He hissed, his tone switching from playful to dangerous like one would unsheathe a switchblade itself. “I had a plan even if I hadn’t been lucky enough to have you guys in the area. Which I am thankful for, by the way.” His fingers curled into the sands at the bottom of the lake shallows. His eyes got softer. “I was going to push her to the surface as I let go. I would have been pushed down, distracting those things.”

Unabashedly, he met her eyes. She wasn’t scary. Not as scary as other things that he had seen, that he knew. Her formal bravado could only hide so much, could only intimidate to a certain degree: and a jester took no fear in false appearances or their flimsy grandeurs, no matter their accolades or their self-appointed virtues. “I can’t swim, I enjoy the Great Lake and gondoliering, I was trying to cheer her up, and when shit hit the fan I tried to improvise a way to keep her alive because her young life is more precious than my reckless and ultimately invaluable one. Sue me.” He snipped his words off with an audibly sharp and harsh snap of his teeth. He glanced towards Pericles, his eyes softening once more as he mustered a weak smile. “I’d love to have swimming lessons…” He trailed off before glancing away and saying no more. And just like that, the switchblade had closed again, switching the poise of Piérre once more. There was no more need for the bite or the slash. It was over now.

He was very cold. He was shivering. But if there was one thing that he sure as Hell wasn’t going to do, it was… “I’m not going to the infirmary.” He stated bluntly. Matter-of-factly. “None of you should either. Nothing good comes from there; you would be willingly allowing yourself to venture out of the frying pan and directly into the inferno.” He started to turn his yew wand in both hands again, still sitting in the water that was rolling over his hips but no higher. “Start a fire here if you have to. Split the warm-air charm if you must–you’ve proven yourselves very capable of that kind of magic: dry us off and keep us warm that way before we go to the castle and I can nab some calming draughts from Reaganomics or from there myself. Nobody is going to that Death Wing. Over my dead body, so I guess you should have let me drown, huh.” His hands tightened on the yew wand, bending it ever so slightly as he felt his hackles rising with the mere thought of allowing so many people be interred into their own funeral parlor.

Nobody would listen, most likely. But at least he had issued the warning. He had said his part; they would seal their fates and test their chances on their own terms.

Piérre’s pointed ear piqued a bit at the call of ‘Pi’. Glancing behind him with narrowed eyes, Piérre’s eyes lightened when he set his gaze upon a slightly familiar face from that summer. He huffed a bit with a faint laugh before he nodded. “Figaro is safely at the main ball, thankfully. I’ll probably go and collect him… I wonder if he’s found anything…” He said the last part to himself. “But meeting is all the same, no matter the condition or the place. Still a pleasant experience and surprise, a joy to greet again. What is a truly unpleasant situation to a wanderer? There will always be worse.”

He got to his feet, ready to receive the boat that had the young girl’s cat. “Don’t worry about it, my feet are rather steady even on sandy ground!” He chirped to Peri.

A little ways away, the boy noticed a soaking wet behemoth emerging from the water… his brother. Oh and there was Valentin! How exciting! Almost immediately his twin started asking questions and delegating things lightly. Oh of course he was. What a bold and confident leader he was, right? Hahaha! Green eyes twinkled in amusement. Of course Romeo was the more athletic of the two of them, he definitely had no issue with swimming… he was so natural at it. Okay look, Piérre was probably gushing, but Romeo was so awesome in his eyes sometimes. Piérre decided to stay to himself for the time being, though. No need for him to get overexcited, after all. He was fine, he was with responsible people too. Maybe he would catch up with him later…

Receiving Fengel in the Boat

Indeed Piérre was far from alone, and Valentin turned his gaze away in search of others who might need him more. Despite coming to Madison’s aid, however, the grindylows were more than Val could handle by himself. Luckily, he did not have to, and soon the threat began slinking back into the shadowy depths.

Before Valentin could find another person to help, a familiar commotion throttled the seeker’s awareness. Be it above the clouds or below the water, Valentin knew Romeo’s movements instinctively and down to the finest detail. They had simply spent so many hours together, in countless conditions, and with Valentin in such intense meditative focus both in and out of quidditch at those times… well, no thoughts even surfaced as his co-captain’s arrival spoke through a cascade of subconscious cues. Valentin crested the surface of the lake to take stock of the scene, pausing to appreciate the power of the raging Italian. What was a ball without Romeo anyway?

Checking to make sure that Val’s previous conversation partner, Maila, was not in immediate danger, Valentin watched with a smirk as his co-captain brought that iconic wrath to bear on those who would victimize their innocent fellow students. It was certainly satisfying to see all the training they’d put in flourish through Romeo’s fighting prowess. All those hours do mean something when it counts, yeah? mused Val as the final grindylow fled the auburn-haired giant of a boy. Still, Val couldn’t let himself look for too long. He remembered what Mikael said before, about there being a boy swallowed up by the lake. Ever since then, Valentin couldn’t unsee his friend’s silhouette slipping away into the black. He’d nearly lost Mikael, and it felt like at any moment the seastorm-eyed boy might reappear there, if not someone else. The possibility that there was someone dying down there was hard to shake when the seeker knew that, despite his keen vision, there was still so much more beyond his awareness. If not for Misha, then for all the other people who were even more quietly drowning, Valentin turned back into the sub-surface chill and kicked his way towards the silty bottom… searching… searching for the lost.

Through strands of lake weed and clay benthos, however, Valentin would not find anyone. With the bubblehead charm the champion could not drown, but he only grew colder with time. As moment after moment passed, it was starting to feel like that frozen lake in Germany outside the manor of his earliest youth. Ginyami had come for him that time, followed by Romeo above. Of course Valentin had to search the Great Lake now: he wanted a world where people saved each other, like he had been. The lean boy bundled up by pulling his legs against his chest, not expecting anyone at all now. If he could just be quiet enough, maybe he could hear the ones who were drowning without much sound, with little struggle left to give.

The seconds passed, and minutes, and more minutes. Was Alexander dying down there? Where? How could he see what could not be seen? Closing his eyes, Valentin couldn’t hear a thing. Away from the dimming chaos at the surface, the silence swelled like an unearthly ringing in his ears. Vestiges of memory swam through his mind as he tried to remain still, ever more still, trying to understand where the most lost of all was under all that weight of black water. With time, not even a thought came to ripple through Valya’s obsidian mind. If there was someone in distress down there then, at least, they were not alone while Valentin was there. The passing of time enthralled the seeker in such unbroken fixation that he could have been an ascetic under Siddhartha’s tree. The perfect emptiness of that place captured him with its enchantment.

At the lowest plateau of the lake, Valentin would be hard to see from above. Yet, the albino’s natural luminance was still a dead giveaway to one determined enough to look. As the chill crept into Val’s numbing mind, it would not even register as something worth turning towards when the water churned ever closer. The seeker would not resist as two arms tucked underneath his. These were simply the most known arms of all, and it was only the way of things. Romeo kicked water until he brought Valentin to the surface,

“How was I able to guess that you would be down here, huh?” asked Romeo once they could breathe natural atmosphere once more.

Valentin intended a smirk, but with muscles frozen with the water’s chill, his face scarcely moved. He would have even surrendered a chuckle, if only there were something warm enough inside to produce it. Strangled by a knot of worry, however, all Valentin could give him in return was a crinkle at the corners of his violet Tatar eyes.

“I think I chased off the beasties, at least for the time being. Have you seen anyone else down here that needs help?”

Shaking his head consumed all of Valentin's effort as he tried to understand why he hadn't found anyone. He didn’t find Alexander down there. He didn’t find Mikael. He didn’t find the final lost boy. There was no one, and he had been alone down there… but no, not alone. Romeo came for him. Valentin didn’t have to be alone in his search for the most solitary of lake victims.

Looking up with his gem-chip amethyst eyes, Valentin spoke to Romeo without words. Yes, of course the frost captain was fine, as much as a single person was fine when someone else was not. Somewhere out there was a problem the seeker hadn’t solved, but with Romeo there now, the captain’s mind began to thaw. No, no, nothing was happening in the lake bottom. There was no one there right now.

“C’mon Val… we should get to land.”

It’s okay, just… let Rome take care this time. It’s okay. It’s okay… Sinking his face into the other’s shoulder, Valentin took a moment to breathe before turning to swim alongside #4 back to the shore. The pair sloshed out onto the tree-lined earth once more and Valentin quietly looked around as he listened to Romeo delivering the post-trauma care they usually gave together.

“Is everyone back on shore? … Who’s banged up the most and who’s cold? I’ll start a fire and start patching people up if they need it.”

It was refreshing to not have to carry everything himself this time. The champion’s year had been a long one indeed, and in tranquility like after a broken fever, the reality around him crystallized. It was nice to have a co-captain.

The pair would take some time to tend to any remaining lake victims in need, and when it became clear that everything was done, Valentin gave Romeo a cold, wet hug that lingered many moments and concluded with an affectionate squeeze. Then, turning away, Valentin set his eyes upon the castle once more. He had to understand if Alexander was in some other danger. Even if the golden-haired boy was not suffocating in the depths with Mikael’s ghost, Valentin would not rest until he knew that everything was okay.

STA 8 ✧ EVA 20 ✧ STR 3 ✧ WIS 16 [18] ✧ ARC 1 ✧ ACC 15
Keen Eye ✦ Charmer ✦ Evasive Manoeuvres ✦ Fearless ✦ Comprehend Parseltongue
Inventory: a new wand, a very old Turkish dagger

Action: Leaving the thread with Romeo, then going to check on what happened to Alexander

Blue in English, Red in Korean

As expected, Piérre wasn’t happy with her words but Eun-ji didn’t care too much. Nobody liked to be criticised even if it was deserved. She shook her head but decided to stay quiet while he defended his actions. The boy said he wasn’t afraid of water but honestly? He should be. Sometimes, fear was not a bad thing. It’ not like you would have been able to decide that’s what would happen just because you wanted to. The witch thought disapprovingly when he said would have let himself drown before he allowed Marietta to. Damn Gryffindors, thinking their courage will make everything work. Besides, his bad plan would have been slightly understandable if there weren’t people helping at he time however, Pi had them and not just one either but two.

The Ravenclaw didn’t voice out any of those thoughts. She didn’t have time to argue nor did she want to. She had plenty of that at home. Eun-ji was simply here to help and so that’s what she did. “Thank you,” she nodded at Hiro as he agreed to help the first years get to the infirmary. He may have been pestering her the whole evening but at least he was willing to listen to her instructions, which she appreciated a lot. She looked at the necklace in her hand briefly. If the situation wasn’t so chaotic, Eun-ji might have tried to refuse the gift but now was not the time. Hence, she simply nodded and pocketed it before going to gather her discarded robe.

After Eun-ji saw Hana leave, her mood dropped even further. She was prepared to hand her garment to Piérre and leave but his next words made her pause. She didn’t care when he was being stupid and stubborn himself but now he was actively trying to make others do something stupid. There was no way she could overlook that…

“Are you daft?” Before, when she lectured him, her look was somewhat unhappy but it wasn’t that bad, now her expression turned truly dark. “Of course they have to go to the infirmary.” Originally, Eun-ji didn’t want to describe the dangers that could arise after drowning because she didn’t want to scare the first years but now it seemed she had no other choice. “You think drying them is enough to fix everything? Have you ever heard of dry or secondary drowning?” The witch uttered through gritted teeth. “Have you ever seen a kid desperately trying and failing to get air into their lungs? Have you seen them vomit and become unaware of themselves? What will you do if you see that? Do you have another brilliant plan to save them? Will you choke on their behalf?” She wasn’t trying to be quiet, Eun-ji wanted others to hear in case they got the brilliant idea and listen to Piérre’s suggestion. “And that’s just dry drowning. You will at least see the signs then. Secondary drowning? It can occur up to 48 hours after the actual drowning and often you won’t even notice until it’s too late. What then? Will you explain to their parents why their kid died despite being just few steps away from help?” Eun-ji guessed he had a bad experience with the hospital wing but that didn’t matter now. Most kids were helped by the school healers more than once and they would be the only ones capable of helping if any of the kids really experienced either of those conditions. “If you want to die so badly, die by yourself.”

Yes, it was a harsh thing to say but Eun-ji didn’t care. The moment someone needlessly endangered others, any remains of the kindness she might have left disappeared completely. She wasn’t here to look for friends. It was fine if Pi came to dislike her. It was fine if others had a poor opinion of her too. Turning to Peri, she handed her robe to him instead in case it could still be of help. “I’m sorry, I’ll be going now. I think it’s best you take care of your friend. As you can see, I’m not great when it comes to bedside manners.” She honestly didn’t feel like staying. She did all she could here and there were plenty people to assist those in need.

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

They finally arrived at the shore. Zach hopped after Raizel and walked away from the water in his wet clothes. His beautiful white hair that he styled before going to the ball was also far from the intended shape. He followed Raizel along until she patted his shoulder. Zach's eyes followed along her finger that pointed at Alyssea. The boy winced his eyes but no, he still couldn't see her well. Zach just followed along by nodding and saying, "Uh... Yeah...?" then followed Raizel's rushed steps towards Alyssea.

When Raizel stopped, Zach could finally see Alyssea. Zach listened to Raizel answer Alyssea's question and he nodded, agreeing with all of Raizel's words. "Something grabbed my feet. Something gross and slimy. And my Depulso could push it away then Raizel saved me from the water. And yay!" Zach grinned. It was a very exciting experience for him: rowing the boat and fighting monster. Maybe he shouldn't be excited. Was it really the effect of Crinus Muto?

Alyssea used her spell towards Raizel and him, a Hot-Air Charm if he remembered it well. The spell made him more dry. "Thanks," he said. He chuckled when he heard Razile offered her Incendio at Alyssea. "Or Ventus," Zach said abruptly. "Uh... you can do Ventus, right?" Zach turned his head and asked Raizel. If she had learnt Lumos Duo, there was a chance she also had learnt Ventus.

"Yeah! You didn't even look at us." Zach shook his head in a playing manner. The fact was, he even didn't notice Alyssea if Raizel hadn't told him earlier. The only thing he could differentiate when on the water was just hair colors and lengths.

"Did you also fight an underwater creature?" Zach looked around Alyssea to see that no one was with her and continued, "You fought it alone?"

Interacting with @Raizel Voltrouz @Alyssea Brown
Mentioning Jonathan, the Gryndillow
Action: interacting
Abilities: Blindvision

Practicing her denialism and getting her kitty back with the help of @Piérre Marchonné & @Pericles Dralt as well as chattin with Hiro Bakuco [aka @Kim Sato]
Stamina:8 | Evasion:8 | Strength:3 | Wisdom:7 | Arcane power:7 | Accuracy:7

Reducio

How quickly things had escalated. One moment, the first year had been bright and ready for a night of fun and games; the next, shivering in a boat after her best friend’s near-death encounter.

Though, a small voice at the back of her mind piped, was Astra even her best friend anymore? Looking back on it all, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that she had acted horrible, controlling, bitter - and all in all, not the model example of what a real friend was supposed to be like.

Honestly, she wouldn’t even blame Astra if the latter decided she no longer wanted to be affiliated with Renelle in any way. She couldn’t pretend that she might not do the same thing, in the Slytherin’s shoes.

She hated the voices at the back of her mind.

In was with this cheerful thought that Renelle sluggishly climbed out of the boat, almost falling over due to unsteadiness. Her head snapped in the direction of where Astra seemed to have asked her something, thought she couldn’t exactly remember what. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”

With the older girl possessing an impressive amount of level-headedness (considering the situation) assuring Astra that the boy who had, at some point in the chaos, gotten into their boat would be alright, they left.

Some part of Renelle couldn’t believe that after all the danger they had found themselves in the night, all she could think about was still just how she hoped her friendship hadn’t been damaged beyond repair. Truth be told, she didn’t care about if ‘Rodney’ would be okay. She didn’t care about whoever might have gotten hurt that evening. And the memory of the struggle with the Grindylow was already fading from her mind.

Just one question pounded in her head.

Was she going to loose Astra Norrick?

Interacting with @Astra Norrick

Interacting with @Marietta Griffis, @Piérre Marchonné, @Eun-ji Lee Hunt

When Mari told him not to over-exert himself, Pericles sent her a sideways smile, reassuring "Don't worry, I've got him." He lifted his chin as the boat glided across the water and bobbed against the shoreline, getting a glimpse at the kitten before adding "One more thing: Aer Calidus." Hot air whipped between them until the clothes clinging to their skin were billowing loosely, warm as if they'd just been taken from a clothesline under the summer sun. The Ravenclaw looked content, though the strain of several spell splits was wearing on him, evident on the way his tired eyes looked more shadowy than when he'd leapt from the dock. His breath fogged as he sighed and stowed his wand, letting his arms hang at his sides. It was then that he heard the tail end of Eun-Ji's sharp words for Piérre.

Piérre was reckless, though his heart was in the right place. Eun-Ji was blunt, but stern in her care of others. Seeing them on the verge of an argument- after such a night as this- darkened Peri's expression with an uneasy frown. Confrontation had never been his specialty, yet he wasn't trying to take either side in this case. Now was a better time to remain united. As Eun-Ji aptly advised, there was a danger to events and an unreliability to the adults that made working together all the more necessary. The healer had delegated the task of escorting them to the infirmary to a younger friend, and at that Peri turned away again, managing a weaker smile for Marietta as he encouraged at a calming level, "You should go with them. You'll be alright."

Pericles broke away once a younger-year began corralling the others, coming closer in time to overhear Pi devaluing his life- something they ought to eventually unpack, just not in this time nor place. He even discouraged them all from going to the infirmary, calling it a "Death Wing", and Peri arrived as Eun-Ji finished firing off on this dubious decision. She must have seen her fellow duellist's concerned expression. As she stopped for a passing thank-you and apologized for her bedside manners, his gloomy smile eased back, and he reached to take her hand for a comradely clasp. "Something to work on another day. At least your healing is impeccable... I saw what you did for that boy." admiration melded into worry with a faint furrow of the forehead, and he leaned in for a solemn murmur: "You saved lives tonight Eun'. Just don't forget that healers need healing, too." He met her eyes, seeming to search for something, only to give her hand an encouraging squeeze before drifting off towards Pi.

That same perceptive look was turned on the jester. He didn't need to pry to learn where this was likely coming from, and approaching with an air of empathy, Pericles tried to get through to him. "The wing has changed since that day, Pi." A Sectusempra in the smokescreen, blood on the floorboards. But that was so long ago, now, wasn't it? First year? Four years might as well have been four lifetimes ago. Things were different. They were different. "Even if we don't know the nurse, they have the supplies students need to recover, especially after a night like this. You could always go along, you know... keep an eye on things. Watch over them." While he meant exactly what he said, Pericles' altruism might have masked his intent to ensure Piérre got the help he needed, too.

Action: Spell-spreading Hot-Air Charm, Aer Calidus, to himself & Marietta. Leaving the thread unless stopped.