Hit or Miss PV Alan Vanes

There were things to be said about people who used their freedom and powers to their advantage. Alan of course did not care about those things being said, unless those actions caused harm. Either way, he wouldn't dare say that his position encouraged or caused such actions to transpire, but simply allowed him an easy excuse in the event that one would raise questions. Being a prefect, of course, meant that he could be a little less confined to his common room in the name of patrolling the hall ways and checking the areas for places of students breaking the rule, just so as if he were not one of those rule breakers himself, if someone were to strip him of his titles this instance. He simply adored the quietness of the castle before the students rose and loved to get ahead schedule and use the quiet in order to keep distractions at bay. The duelling room, empty as it would be, would allow Alan to practice undisturbed. Same as to why he had loved to leave the common room early to head to the Quidditch pitch when he was still part of that team. Or of course, as he would do on even days of the week, go for a jog about the grounds. Though his favorite places to venture for such jogs tended to be the Great Lake, in the hopes to spy the Giant Squid or perhaps the odd creature he could only find near the Care of Magical Creatures pen or the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Needless to say, Alan knew just as well as any other soul who had it in them to wake up this early and risk a possible detention, that the early hours were the time to get things done in peace. So when he had left the Common Room and headed to the Duelling Club, he had done so with the intention to practice without concer and not to do his duties as a prefect, yet unlike other rule breakers, he had this cushion of security to fall back onto in case that someone were to spot him outside. The thought gave him a sly smile that tugged ever so gently at the corners of his mouth and the ridiculousness of it all gave him a bounce to his step that he didn't even bother to contain, he was after all alone with no one around to judge. Perhaps he would meet a professor on the way but he found that even those tended to need their beauty sleep.

So when Alan pushed open the door the duelling room with an energy that could only be harnessed by an early riser at such times, he had not expected to nearly be hit by a stray spell that burst about inches from him into the wall behind where he was now standing. The shock only giving a minimal pause in his step before he fully entered with a smile on his face as he laid eyes on Ruby. "I would have entered more carefully if I had expected someone to be in here so early," he contered, waving away the apology, not even raising any concerns with the fact that the vipress had been in here at all, simply stating it as a fact. Neither did he seem to be affected by the glower sent his way, an aura of calm and kindness being his constant companion making him often immune to such expressions. Or so he liked to believe until proven wrong by individuals. "If you hadn't asked I would have likely offered to myself, after all practice is much more effective when your target can move," he allowed and took a look around to find the nearest piste. "You pick," he offered, not that it mattered. But he assumed some might consider some of them their lucky ones and some cause for bad luck if tied to a loss, perhaps. "You have grown since we last spoke properly, though I guess so have I, Detective," he stated to make conversation, adding the title to break any tension and for a moment reminisce of a time much simpler when they were little kids. Back then he had put time in finding out her name after their encounter, perhaps the only reason why that memory still seemed fresh enough in his mind.

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Strangely enough, she didn’t receive so much as a stern word for the rule-breaking or for the spell that could have hit Alan if it had been just slightly closer. Instead, he smiled, graciously dismissing her low-effort apology and accepting her offer to practice together without hesitation. Her eyes idly searched his, mildly confused and waiting for some sort of catch, although her blank expression wouldn’t make such puzzlement known. This had not been a reaction she would’ve initially predicted from a prefect—she certainly wasn’t complaining about the lack of mention of detention, though—and most people were not so easygoing when they had nearly been unexpectedly hit with a spell before seven in the morning. Well, regardless, she supposed this was turning out to be much better for her than she could have expected, and she wasn’t going to jeopardize that with any questions or expression of skepticism.

She climbed the stairs of the nearby piste, eyes tracking any and all movement of Alan’s, never looking away. "You have grown since we last spoke properly, though I guess so have I, Detective." The words took her by surprise—she wouldn’t have thought he would have remembered such a thing, given that it was so long ago. At the time, she had kept thoroughly detailed journals with information about people she had met and notable interactions she had had, complete with sketches and observations, and that had a tendency to cement experiences in memory quite efficiently, not to mention it allowed for easy revisitation later. Despite being able to recollect that first meeting of theirs, though, it was not something that would’ve popped into her mind so soon had Alan not mentioned it, given that she was currently quite preoccupied with her thoughts about yesterday’s duel.

“I would expect so, given how many years have passed since then,” she eventually responded neutrally. Paired with her cold gaze, it was a detached response, arguably passive-aggressive or rude considering the other’s clear attempt at kindness and connection, but she was uninterested in recalling such childish moments and had to suppress a frown at the thought. After all, the part of her that had been so willing to play make-believe games had died along with the end of her childhood, or at least that was what she told herself. And if a corner of her lips had still betrayed her and twitched into the tiniest of smiles when she had initially heard the playful title? Well, she would never admit it.

Anyway, she needed to focus on present matters, not think about the now-distant past. “Are any spells off-limits, or do you have any relevant boundaries?” she managed to remember to ask, regardless of how false it might have felt to her to be offering such kind consideration. She was trying to be mindful of the fact that this wasn’t like a duel in the corridors where she was actively trying to cause pain, or an official duel where the goal was to knock the opponents out by any means allowed in the rules or remain standing in better condition until the time ran out. Such activities did not warrant consideration of the opposition’s feelings, but what she would be doing at the moment was unlike either of those types of duels. It was just practice with a willing participant, and Alan was already doing her a favor by engaging with her instead of sending her back to her common room with a promise of detention. The least she could do was try to ensure she wouldn’t accidentally make him exceedingly uncomfortable.

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Alan smiled slightly as he followed the girl to a nearby piste, the choice did not matter to him, he wondered quickly whether it had to Ruby but was not quite curious enough to wonder on it for longer than a second. He would find his position on the side opposite to Ruby and gave a quick look around. It was quite unusual to see this room so empty but it also allowed for some comfort that could only be found in the quiet.

"That's true! That was years ago," he quipped back naturally. "Where do we draw the line? Will you want a full duel or should we set a timer?" he asked curiously. He wouldn't mind either way, though he would hardly want to knock her unconscious in a practice session. However timed duels might benefit them both if Alan's past duels were anything to go by, back when there was no time limit yet. Sometimes Alan liked to imagine that perhaps he had been example for the need of a time limit, as the timing was conscipuous but he hardly would give himself that much credit and assumed there were other factors that had played into the decision as well.

As Ruby's question he gave a short hum as he thought on it, "If you wish to avoid it, I am not the biggest fan of fire, but I wouldn't hold it against you if you like the spell a lot. Are there any spells you want me to avoid, if so that can be arranged?" Alan had the mind to ask back. He meant what he said, while he disliked the Fire-making spell he had to admit its efficiency in dealing with students in a duel and thus would not mind an attempt to cast it against him. He himself had tried to use it once, thinking perhaps he would be fine to do so, but had quickly learned that it was a spell he would not want to afflict another person with. So at the very least Ruby would not see him casting the spell, even if she chose to do so. It would hardly be the first or last time someone would attempt the spell on him and Alan had since become even more notorious for dodging spells that came his way. Alan wondered if Ruby knew as much. After all the only times they really had encountered each other in the duelling club was when Alan had moderated her duels. He was not sure if she had actually seen him do magic or heard of rumors.

"Hmmm..." Alan thought for a moment before grinning at the Slytherin, "Let's turn this question around, is there a spell that you really like? Doesn't have to be a duelling spell either!" He asked, as he got into position and drew his wand, glancing at the clock on a wall before glancing back at Ruby, waiting for her to make a decision on the question he had asked her before. Either way he was thrilled at the idea of practicing with an old acquaintance.

Action:
Getting Ready

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"That’s true! That was years ago." Well, at least he had been receptive enough to her uninterested dismissal of the shared memory. Her head dipped briefly in a slight nod, acknowledging the response. Hopefully, that would be the end of such topics—they were moving onto better, more relevant conversation about the specifics of this practice duel, and she certainly preferred that. “I suppose a time limit would be sufficient… although, actually, is there anywhere else you need to be? We do still have quite a while before breakfast even starts. We could just go until one of us decides we want to stop,” she suggested nonchalantly. Regardless, though, she had already stopped to speak for long enough and now she wanted to resume casting as soon as possible.

She made a mental note of Alan’s aversion to fire, but it certainly wasn’t uncommon. There were plenty of reasons why people didn’t like the fire-making spells, including but not limited to all the past incidents at Hogwarts involving fire along with the fact that having one’s clothes or person set on fire was objectively unpleasant. More unusual, however, was Alan’s comment that he wouldn’t hold it against her if she liked the spell a lot and wanted to use it despite what he had said. Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly. He did realize he was doing her a favor just by going along with this in the first place, right? Why would he bring up his issues with fire and then diminish what he had said by essentially giving her permission to still use those spells if she really wanted to? Was it not important to him after all, or did he not value himself and his own comfort enough to properly assert himself? Well, whatever. None of that was any of her business, and she wasn’t particularly invested in discovering the answers to those questions, either.

As the seconds ticked by, Ruby was growing increasingly restless, and, as such, she thought very little about the question Alan had asked her in return. “I don’t care. Just stick to normal duelling spells and preferably stop before I’m unconscious, or else help me regain consciousness soon after.” Had she been practicing with someone she considered a proper friend—someone she trusted more deeply—she might have listed her actual preferences, but she had no interest in revealing potential weaknesses to one who might as well have been a stranger. She wasn’t particularly scared of any spells and didn’t have a notably awful history with any of the ones typically used for duelling, either, so there wasn’t that much additional harm that could be caused. Besides, she should learn to better tolerate spells that she didn’t like. Tolerance itself was incredibly important to duelling—how could a duellist succeed if they got too distracted and unsettled by a spell or couldn’t handle being hit?

Alan had another question for her, though: what spell did she really like? With little to no hesitation—almost instinctively—she responded impassively, “I’m partial to the Blasting Curse.” She didn’t return Alan’s grin—it was far too cheerful for her present emotional state. Instead, her face remained expressionless, her tone flat and cold, piercing eyes fixed unwaveringly on the Gryffindor. Had she been in a different situation, on a different day, she might have taken longer to truly think about the question and offer an alternative answer that might have involved a more typically positive, beautiful, or useful spell instead. However, currently, with her anger burning consistently in the background, the only thing she could think about was destruction. “Are you ready?” If she received an affirmative response, she would raise her wand and cast without further delay.

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"I am available until breakfast, I don't mind going on until one of us loses interest or is defeated," he replied. The weight of his wand felt familiar in his hand, the cherry wood felt smooth yet rough at the same time. Alan tended to handle it with care and polish it, as the brittle wood would otherwise be prone to splinters. The texture felt familiar, soothing and their history filled him with both confidence and trepidation, after all the wand has defied him often and had a mind of its own. A mind that Alan quite cherished as it allowed him to harness his potential quite effficiently.

Sizing up Ruby, Alan was very curious about how this practice duel would go. "Likewise," he offered back, a retort to the request to either stop before unconsciousness or at the very least providing care in case that unconsciousness happened. It was quite natural to dislike pushing oneself over the limit, testing one's limit however, Alan thought a practice duel was more than perfect for that purpose. A duel was almost like a dance, where two parties came together, both with their own tact and fluidity and Alan quite liked the show of it, the getting to know each other and finding to its end. A duel could be quite beautiful to witness he had found, those were his favorite duels. The ones that seemed to flow with a natural beauty to them. He was not a fan of a harsh and quick duel that spoke of violence, though he saw the necessity in them if there was not another way to accomplish victory otherwise.

"The Blasting Curse?" Alan raised an eyebrows at that in surprise before his face slipped back into an amused grin. That answer had been quick, Alan found. He knew the spell well and was usually quite impressed at those who pulled it off efffortlessly. It was a spell Alan would probably struggle casting, after all it required a whole lot of focus, focus that came difficult to Alan. But he made a mental note of this as it was oddly... fitting to the girl in front of him to choose such a spell. Why, Alan was unsure of, but it seemed like here to go for something powerful, something that left an impression. And, of course, Alan was quite aware of the fact that this spell could change up the dynamic of a duel quite quickly. A good spell for desperate times, a spell that had already lost him one duel despite being in the lead for the entirety before it. But nonetheless he found it fitting and Alan gave a nod at Ruby and raised his wand at her, suddenly he felt prickly as the familiar feeling of adrenaline and readiness rushed through him.

"Ready," he promised and emotions of excitement and sincerity resonated in his voice, before he began to cast his first spell.

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Alan’s surprised eyebrow raise was about what she had expected when answering the question of what spell she liked with the Blasting Curse. Most people tended not to admit to such interest in destruction unless they were deliberately trying to intimidate someone, given that it was relatively socially unacceptable. Being a duellist did allow for some leeway in that regard, but still, it wasn’t exactly most people’s immediate response. Nevertheless, even despite that and the apparent surprise that had initially shown itself on Alan’s face, the Gryffindor was still quick to grin again, seemingly entirely unfazed. “Yes,” she confirmed regarding the spell choice, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “And you?”

Soon enough, though, they were about to start the duel, raising their wands. “Impedimenta,” she cast immediately, feeling brief satisfaction when the spell made contact with the Gryffindor. The feeling was short-lived, however, ending when Alan cast his own spell. She was unable to get out of the way in time, and the jet of water hit her hard, making her grimace and stumble slightly. She sighed. Must she spend every duel soaked? The discomfort wasn’t enough to warrant casting the Hot Air Charm, though—or at least, not yet. She certainly wasn’t happy with the uncomfortable sensation of her clothes clinging to her, dripping with water, but she had to gain more control over the situation before she could afford to use a spell to remedy that.

She had thought the Impediment Jinx would be a beneficial first move to attempt, given whatever advantages Alan might have had over her by virtue of age or talent—she had seen him duel, after all, and he seemed to be hard to hit as well as generally a good duellist. Focusing on impairing him early on seemed like a good way to start off, and maybe that would still prove to be the case. It had admittedly been a step back from her typical preference for aggressive, damaging offense—a change made deliberately to try to be a little more gentle and kind and allow the duel to go on for longer. Apparently, Alan had had other ideas, though. Well, that was fine, too. It would take more than a bit of water to throw her off.

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"The Blasting Curse is super tricky, you must be great at controlling your spells then," he said with impressive wonder as he regarded the other student with great respect. For Alan age and other things mattered little, if one managed to do impressive feats, he would be impressed and Ruby seemed to be just that, impressive. And Alan was no stranger to allowing himself to be read like an open book, especially when he did not worry his mind with duty or the upcoming graduation. "I am pretty partial to Draconifors, but that one is actually not taught at Hogwarts and if it wasn't for my adoration of all things mystical, I might not have learned it at all," he said with a snicker.

Upon seeing the damage inflicted with his first move, the Gryffindor winced and gave the Slytherin a sheepish expression, that while not saying anything audibly, certainly seemed apologetic. Once more the Gryffindor raised his wand, "Sorry, force of habit," he muttered at last. And it was true, had the girl watched any of Alan's duel she would know that the spell had been Alan's most used opener. Alan would have also could have excused himself by expecting Ruby's approach to be more cutthroat, but the thought hadn't been the most present in his spell choice. Why it had not been much a choice and more of falling into familiarity. That of course did not take alleviate the issue he took with being unable to adjust to the situation or choose his first move more wisely.

He noticed the jinx first in his arms, as he was hit, they slowly made his arms feel heavy, as if he was trying to move through a bog. The spell was one Alan had never been impacted by before and he must say he very much disliked the feeling and wanted to get rid of it as quickly as he could. His gaze found to Ruby with a grimace. "What kind of slow torture is this spell," if he was perhaps a little younger by perhaps ten years, one could have expected him to stomp his foot to that exclaim. Right now he just seemed bothered, but lacking any actual scorn.

"Mimblewimble!"

If he had to struggle, he would be able to allow himself a window of time to escape her spell with a counter-charm. That way he could focus on himself without concern for any spells from Ruby...

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Ruby shrugged slightly at Alan’s comment about the difficulty of the spell and the control she must have. “I’d like to think so.” Of course she was good at controlling her spells. The desire for control was what motivated many of her actions and part of her relentless drive to try to perfect her magic. Her natural ambition also pushed her to aim ever higher and work hard, and in addition, the more damaging, more powerful, and more difficult a spell was, the more she was generally interested. So, yes, the Blasting Curse was particularly appealing to her, in part because of its difficulty to cast and control.

She tilted her head slightly to one side upon hearing the spell that Alan really liked. Draconifors? Now that was interesting. It wasn’t something she could have expected, and it most certainly made her suddenly a lot more curious about the boy himself. “Oh? Where did you learn that, then?” Her expression was blank as ever, but her gaze grew more intense, eyes locked firmly on him. He was no longer just a practice duelling opponent; he also possessed knowledge that she did not, and she wanted to find out more about that.

She shook her head at the apology for the blast of water. “I said any spell was fine. Do you apologize every time you hit someone?” She was not weak, she did not need his apologies for a duellist’s instinct, nor did she need to be handled with care. She had chosen to go for impairment over damage with her first spell; that did not mean he had to do the same. It seemed that her spell had been effective at accomplishing her goal, at least, since it elicited complaints of a “slow torture”.

Ruby laughed. “You’re welcome to go ahead and cast the counter spell if it’s so bad,” she responded almost tauntingly, a light challenge in her tone—she certainly wouldn’t mind having another opportunity to hit him while he did so. Neither of them had much luck with their spells this time, though. The discomfort from the water running off Ruby’s hair was distracting her and her spell ended up going nowhere near Alan. She glared at the wall the spell had hit as if it had personally slighted her. Stupid water. She was still able to easily step out of the way of Alan’s spell, but missing him by so much was irritating.

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Alan grinned at her, "Well I am glad I didn't get to face you in a duel lately, otherwise you might have blasted me to bits with that spell," he said it with almost an enthusiastic chirp. Alan was enjoying their conversation and was enjoying the practice with the viridian viper. Alan grew oblivious to the shift in mood as Ruby's gaze grew more intense. Or at the very least did not backpedal or grew any suspicion from it. Alan just grinned even broader as he thought back. "Well I got carried away the one time I spent time in the Forbidden Section and the librarian probably hates me for it. But the book was pretty interesting in what knowledge it had to offer," he began his explanations and ended them with a shrug. "I've got a pass to enter the Transfiguration section," he added as further explanation. Though by now he was very sure that Mateo would have liked nothing more than revoke his rights to step into the library at all after the damage he had done to it last time.

“I said any spell was fine. Do you apologize every time you hit someone?” Alan gave a momentary frown, actually thinking about this. "Only if I like them," he replied, half joking. Though in reality he actually would not go around apologizing to everyone after a duel, even if he disliked harming them, he feared it would come over as condescending. It had actually taking him a while to get over that bad feeling upon hurting others during duels upon picking up the sport, even if he was painfully aware that it was a consensual sport and fun. Alan was somewhat akin to a puppy, wanting to single-handedly ensure everyone's happiness and comfort regardless how impossible the task seemed, he remained blind to it. And he was fine with it, enjoying the idea of getting along with others and making friends even with people who bristled at the thought of Alan seeking friendship.

"Well if you say so," he replied in jest when the sluggish movements actually began to further annoy him. It was only because he knew it was only a matter of time until he was absolutely rendered useless and basically becoming a practice dummy for beginners, which with Ruby's deadly precision and control over her magic was not a combination the Gryffindor was looking forward to. Because he was sure that by the time his movement was affected, she might launch blasting curse after blasting curse at him and he would be forced to take those in stride or until he passed out.

"Finite Incantatem!"