Closed The Ballet of Blades Open Unofficial Modded

@Avery Leveret

There was something different about January winters, as opposed to December winters. December was reserved for the charming holiday season, whereas January catered more towards those looking to enjoy chilly activities. Both were superb in their own right, but there was no denying a stark divide between the two phases of Wintertide.

Xailah had been getting her fill of festivities, and was thoroughly enjoying the snow while it was here to stay. She had participated in her annual snowball fight, battled in icicle duels (which were the farthest thing from safe, but so was just about everything else she did to stay occupied), and even built a very dashing snowgentleman; all that was left now, was to take things to the ice. The lake was calling, and it wasn't getting any frostier.

The few times she had gone skating with her sister, on a neighboring lake back at home, aided in introducing her to the vast world of ice-skating. Experience as a dancer further acclimated her to the ice; and, how to move- not on it- but with it. That's really all skating was: an intricate dance with a partner that was not fully tangible. Truthfully, Xailah liked it that way a good percentage of the time. Paying little mind to how sturdy the frosted lake was (or wasn't), the metamorph set out onto the stretch of translucent white, at a biting speed. She cared little for precaution at that moment; her focus was set on chasing a quick jolt of adrenaline.

Wind whistled in her ears and snow whipped her hair, blowing it back like a long, dark flag. She remained like that until she reached the more shaded side of the lake, where she found a familiar face seated on a nearby log. Avery Leveret- strange little fellow- was looking more miserable than usual, as he gazed into a open box containing some skates. "Do you need help with those?" Xailah asked, sliding by the boy. Her flurry would not stop for him, but she would slow herself down to carve out little figure eights on the frosty surface supporting her. "You almost look as if you fear they will nip you." She observed, half-amused.

Arriving on the lake at a racing speed.

Skill Level: Adept; balanced and nimble, she can still get her groove on, but you won't see her doing many flips on the ice.

Stats:

Reducio

Race: Metamorpmagus (-5 wisdom DC for transfig spells, +2 stealth, 50% chance to recognize transfigured characters)
Abilities: Cat's Grace, Blind vision.

Stam- 12 | Str- 2 | Eva- 17 | Wis- 16 | Arc- 4 | Acc- 16

Open to interactions!

january 6th 2023; open to interactions

Ice skating was for the rich, her brother told her. Skates were expensive, lessons were expensive, and even good clothing was expensive. But considering she was only home for roughly 3 months (2 months of summer break and the few weeks for Christmas and other holidays scattered in between) of the year, the investment wasn't as pricey as if she were to skate all year round between school. Her mother was willing to drop the cash to let her skate.

For her 12th birthday present (a rather late one considering she was still at Hogwarts when it happened and also attended summer camp), her parents gave her a nice pair of white boots with a wooden heel. To say she was happy would be an understatement. It was one of the first things she packed into her suitcase as soon as the year started again.

Coming down from the Transfiguration classroom, she saw a few people by the lake and setting off onto the ice. In a matter of minutes, she ran to the Hufflepuff commons, grabbed her skates (checked the blades, too, and put on the guards), threw on a puffer and other articles of clothing to keep her warm, and headed down. Alyssea expected the lake to not freeze over for a few more weeks, but hey, why not live life on the edge? She was a duellist, after all.

(There would be no chance of drowning today. The lake was frozen over.)

When she arrived, she hummed while lacing up the skates. It felt weird having her own pair and not using the flimsy plastic boots from the rink rental. It reminded her of Pericles' boots back when they met at the Plymouth rink before her first year. Now she was in her second year at Hogwarts. How time flies.

Once they were on, Alyssea set off.

Skill Level: Adept
Action: setting off at a steady pace
Stats: sta 6 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 8 | arc 6 | acc 8
Abilities: Prodigal Transfiguration Learner | Evasive Maneuvers I

Figure skating was like an old friend to Guinevere. She had started before her age hit two digits, and had progressed reasonably far in the sport, getting to double axels and whatnot. Since returning to Hogwarts, she hadn't had the chance to skate yet, and when she was sure the lake was safe to skate on, she took her trusty old figure skates out of her trunk. She changed into a black top, skating pants, and put on some leg warmers and three jackets. One thing about figure skaters, at least back at her old rink, was that they would always wear excessively excessive layers and end up in only a crop top.
Taking out her usual items from her bag, she put in her skates and gloves and headed out to the lake. When she got there, she saw a few other people on the ice, maybe around three or so. With excitement, she sat down on a nearby rock and began to tie her skates. It was all so exciting. Even though she had to give up full time figure skating for school and duelling, the sport was still one close to her heart.
Taking off her guards and putting them in her bag, she tied up her hair and started to skate on the ice. Snow hadn't started to fall yet, and the ice wasn't as rough as she'd anticipated, which was good. She took a few laps from where she started, enjoying the cold breeze and the sound of the edges under her blades. While warming up a bit, Guinevere decided that doing some spins and jumps weren't that far off a possibility. She would only have to make sure she didn't accidentally hit someone with her blade, since that would be catastrophic and not good.

@open to interactions
skill level: figure skater
action: tying skates, starting to skate at a moderately fast speed, warming up edges
stats: sta • 7 | eva • 10 | str • 6 | wis • 7 |arc • 7 | acc • 9
abilities: perfectionist, sixth sense, prod. DADA

Interactions: Open!
Date: January 6th
Location: Great Lake

Quinn had learned how to ice skate from her older sister. She never would be as good as her and hadn't picked up a pair of skates in almost a year. Quinn walked down to the icy lake with her white snow boots on and a fluffy purple jacket. This may have been a bad decision. Quinn thought. Grabbing her skates Quinn sat down on the edge of the lake. A few other people were already there. Oh boy, I'm going to make a fool out of myself in front of people. Quinn sighed.

Quinn had been 5 years old when her older sister had walked over to her.
"Heya Quinn, wanna play on the ice, the lake froze over." Quinn had looked up at her sister.
"But Maeve.... I don't know how to skate!" Maeve looked at Quinn suprised.
"Then I'll have to teach you!" Maeve had dragged Quinn out onto the ice. Quinn looked at it fearfully.
"Are you sure it won't bweak?" Quinn asked. Maeve nodded. Quinn was soon on the ice wobbling and hanging onto her sister.

I'm much better at skating now. Quinn thought to herself. Quinn tied her beautiful skates on and stood up. Her mum had gotten her the pink skates she had on for her 9th birthday because her old skates had broken. Quinn skated onto the ice.

Skill Level: Adept
Action: Tying skates and started to skate around the lake at a steady pace
Stats: Stamina: 8|Evasion: 6|Strength: 1|Wisdom: 10| Arcane power: 5|Accuracy: 5
Abilities: None

Date and Time: January 6th 2024 Around 3pm

Mentioning: @Alyssea Brown @Avery Leveret

Hairstyle

Along with Quidditch, Madison had been ice skating since she was young. Every year her family would go into London and go ice skating at Christmas, something she really enjoyed and missed whilst at Hogwarts, however she still packed her skates, white skates, with white laces and pink decoration on the back, just in case she needed them.
When she heard that some of the other students were going down to the lake, Madison knew she wanted to join, and seeing that her badger bestie Alyssea was going to be there made it even better!! Madison grabbed her skates before heading down to the lake. The cold winter air brushes her face as she made her way down to the lake and saw that there were other students already there.

Once down at the lake, Madison put her skates on and entered onto the ice with grace and confidence. She was wearing a white skirt, black winter tights, short white socks to keep her skates from slipping, a light pink sweater, black fur winter cloak and light pink gloves. Oh I've missed this feeling, it's almost like being back in London Madison thought to herself. Having spent Christmas with her friend Remedy, her mother and her father, at one of their estates, Madison was coming back to Hogwarts refreshed and ready to get back into the routine she had here, though fondly remembering all the fun she and Remedy had together at the estate over the break.

Once on the ice, Madison glided gracefully around the frozen lake, taking in the beautiful winter air and smiling as she saw her hufflepuff bestie, Alyssea Brown. She also saw Avery Leveret, a Slytherin boy in the same year as Madison who she had interacted with at a few social events and also in a class during their 1st year. Madison smiled at him gracefully before taking a few moments to enjoy the view of the castle from the lake, making sure to stay out of harms way, but still being on the lake at the same time.
Luckily I have had plenty of practice, but also this ice is quite thick so that means it's sturdy Madison thought to herself as she did a few laps around the ice. Being a Quidditch player, balance was a term Madison was very used to. You had to have good balance and poise as a Quidditch player, otherwise you'd be knocked off your broom pretty easily.
As Madison glided around the ice a few more times, after taking in the view of the castle she calls home during term time, gliding on the ice again made her feel so free, something she didn't always feel at home.

Open to Interactions
Skill Level: Expert
Action: Walking to the lake, getting skates on and gliding onto and around the ice with grace at a steady pace
Stats: STA - 7 | EVA - 6 | STR - 6 | WIS - 9 | ARC - 5 | ACC - 7
Abilities: Lovely Creature and Charmer

Open to Interactions

Ying looked from the tall window of the Gryffindor common room at the beautiful winter landscape. The snow had fallen all night and a soft white blanket now covered the ground and left its tracks even in the densest vegetation of the forest. The young girl always loved seeing the light snowflakes falling like delicate feathers, it reminded her of one of the happiest moments of her life, the first time she encountered magic. But today her attention focused on the vast frozen waters of the Great Lake, where several figures seemed to gather to ice skate. She had noticed last year that it was a common activity at Hogwarts during this time of year, so this time she was prepared to participate. Happy, she went to her dorm, grabbed her pair of white skates and left the castle.

Her excitement was enough to warm up the freezing weather, even though she could feel the chill of the icy wind on her cheeks, giving them a soft pink color. Her steps left a trail of small footprints in the snow while she found her way towards the lake and the group of people already there. Getting near the lake, she realized that some of those faces were already familiar to her. Xailah, her Gryffindor teammate was already gracefully sliding through the ice, Ying wished that she could be like her one day, so...elegantly talented, that sounded like a good description of her. "Hi Xailah!" Ying greeted her when she was close enough to be heard, waving timidly at her. No matter how many times they were together during training or official competitions, Ying always felt intimidated by her veteran lioness, not that she was scared of her, but she really respected Mrs. Alptraum and had her as a role model, not that she had ever told her that!

The other person she recognized was the boy sitting on a log, he seemed to have just arrived too as he was still getting ready. "And we have already met, if I'm not mistaking you for another..." She told him with friendly smile, "Sorry I can't recall your name tho...you're my brother's roommate right? Ming's I mean?" She asked him. Ying looked around until she spotted a tree at her right, she walked towards it and leaned against the trunk to balance herself as she swapped her warm boots for her pair of skates. It felt strange to be wearing a pair of boots on top of two blades, even though it was more comfortable as she expected, the blades weren't so thin that they didn't allow her to walk on them, even if a little awkwardly.

Stats:
Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 1 | Accuracy: 10

Abilities:
Evasive Maneuvers | Lovely Creature

Action: Novice, putting on her skates and starting to try to gain balance. Slow pace

Time: Reducio January 6, 2024	Reducio Mentioning: @Avery Leveret @Xailah Alptraum @Alyssea Brown @Guinevere Russetwood @Quinn Brook @Madison Bennet @Fang Hui-Ming @Kaitlyn Connor Open to interactions
Outfit: Reducio Peacoat, a maxi skirt with leggings underneath, ice skates. Hairstyle	Notes: Reducio Speech: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics

Kaitlyn was eager for the snowfall there at Hogwarts. She had heard stories of the Great Lake freezing up to create a perfect area to ice skate, so she had sent an owl to her muggle family to send her ice skates from home. Sadly, she was not experienced with using them. During her time at St. Ann’s, she, along with her friend group, went to ice skate only twice. The first time, she fell on her rear more often than she’d like to admit. With help from her friends, her second time was more enjoyable and she was able to actually stand up. She was in awe of the people that could actually skate on the ice. It looked so similar to dancing, and she really wanted to try it.

Katie sat on a log near the Great Lake, smiling as she saw other students coming out to skate on the ice. She was actually feeling a little less shy about this experience. She doubted all of these students were so experienced in skating that they wouldn’t fall. It made her feel less bad about herself. She tightened her peacoat around her body, wanting to make sure she kept warm. She changed out of her black snow boots, into her pair of white skates, removing the guard from the blade.

Katie stood up, and gave a silent wave with a small smile to some of the other students around her. ‘Hopefully, this goes well; I’d like to actually figure skate on the ice,’ she thought with a smile. She started to slowly glide out on the ice, trying to be careful and maintain her balance.

Skill Level: Novice
Action: slowly sliding out on to the lake.
Stats: Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 7 | ArcPower: 6 | Accuracy: 5
Abilities: The Muggle Condition

One would think that someone who's stayed for at least two winters in the Castle would know a thing or two about ice-skating. That did not seem to be the case for a particular 13-year-old girl.

Sage eyed the blades on her shoes with a dubious frown.

The bob-haired girl couldn't wrap her head around the fact that people could take off running on those precariously thin bars of metal. Not that she would know how it worked. Besides, she wasn't one to engage in outdoor sports often; coordination was a struggle for someone as tall and ungainly as her.

It looked easy, sure but that was because some people made it look that way - and that assumption was what lead her here, literally, on hopefully not-so-thin ice. It appeared that she wasn't alone in the thought!

The young Gryffindor watched as others began to practice, taking note of their stances, quietly giggling at the others whose attempts were less graceful. Some practically took to the ice like ducks in a pond; Sage gazed at them enviously. No matter, it wasn't too late to learn.

Her breath fogging up in the air, Sage wrapped her scarf securely around her neck. Coat fastened, laces tied, gloves on. It wasn't like her to dawdle but the second-year student had to ensure she didn't die of the elements before she died from embarrassment. Oh, she expected to suffer much of the latter, that's for certain.

Heart hammering against her chest, the girl tried to pushed off the snow-covered stump from which she was perched. Her upper body tilting forward, Sage stood knock-kneed with her arms spread out for balance. It was harder than it looks! Her thighs burned and shook just from trying to stay upright. Her momentum made her inch across the ice, her knees pushing further apart. Don'tfalldon'tfalldon'tfall-

"Wo-aaa-ooh! Oh, Merlin!" A breathless, scared-out-of-her-wits laugh escaped the girl as she flailed about. Everyone seemed to give each other a wide berth but Sage thought she'd make her inexperience known, anyway. Falling down was one thing, but bringing someone down with you was quite another.

Open to interactions!
Skill level: Novice
Action: Sage attempts to push off steadily into the lake
Stats: STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

january 6th, 2024 • date the great lake • location the ballet of blades • thread

Ice skating was definitely not one of Ophelia's strong suits, a fact that was evident after a single ice skating experience gone wrong two years ago. She didn't remember exactly where it had occurred, or who had been present, but she remembered the events that had taken place as if only a day had passed.

Ophelia had been a happy child of nine, adventurous and ready to try her hand at ice skating for the first time. The ice rink had emanated freezing cold, but she'd been ready for it, her eyes greedily taking in the size of the ginormous rink. After all, she remembered thinking, how different can skating be from swimming? The evening had ended in a face full of ice, catching the flu, and a miserable week.

But that didn't mean Ophelia was incapable of skating. No, she would try her best and, somehow, find a way to be perfect at this activity as well. Tying the last string on her ice skates, the first year unsteadily got up. She wasn't comfortable on the thin bar of metal that she was supposed to be balancing on, but it was manageable.

Giving herself a little push, she started off a little wobbly. Waving her arms wildly, she was sure that the ice skating incident from two years ago would repeat itself. Still, she didn't back down, skating around the lake.

There were other students there, none that she knew, all of them ready to enjoy the icy weather by ice skating, just like her. She didn't pay attention to her surroundings, however she did notice that many people were beginners like her, thankfully. It would've been very embarrassing to be the only one not proficient in the art of ice skating.

As Ophelia kept going, she found that she actually did know one of the students. Quinn! Now that they had met and bumped into each other at school, it seemed even more ridiculous to the Ravenclaw that she'd never seen the other girl at Hogwarts before.

Waving as big as she dared without threatening to lose her balance, Ophelia made her way over to where Quinn was trying out her own skating abilities. "Funny seeing you again, isn't it?"

interactions • @Quinn Brook + open! mentions • @ stats • sta 6 | eva 5 | str 6 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 5

366 • word count x x • outfit perfectionist • abilities

Reducio

action • ophelia ties her skates and slowly begins her skating journey
skill level • novice

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