Closed Fall Ball 2023 Lanterns and Boat Rides

Blue in English, Red in Korean

When Eun-ji approached Peri, she expected to see disappointment. After all, that was the expression she was most familiar with as of late. However, to her surprise that was not the case this time. Instead, a small somewhat sad smile graced her teammate's handsome features. For some, it may have not been a noteworthy thing, but it was to her. For once, she wasn't criticized. Not with words nor with sharp gazes. She was not in a situation where no matter what she said, nobody would listen to her. Where what she disagreed with could be forced upon her; what she defended herself with would be twisted and used against her. A situation, where there was no way for her to win. No. Looking at Peri's expression, she saw none of those things. If anything, there was...understanding? It made her feel both warm and extremely uncomfortable.

Either way, this was precisely why Eun-ji respected Peri so much. It was not just him being a skilled duellist. She genuinely believed he was doing a great job at being human. One would think such task would be easy, considering that was his natural state of being and yet, the young ballerina found out within the last two years that doing so was extremely hard and many struggled with it. Including herself. Of course, Peri was not perfect...nobody was but unlike herself, he did well. “Thank you... though calling it impeccable seems a bit too much. I only did the basics of what I was taught.”

Yes, she did have two excellent teachers at home but providing someone with first aid was hardly impressive in her or their book. Eun-ji didn’t understand why Peri looked at her with such admiration. The worry that followed was also somewhat foreign to her, making her shift uncomfortably. “Well…it was a team effort. You make sure to take care of yourself too, okay?” The witch answered simply before the two parted ways. She thought perhaps there was more she could have said but she really wasn’t good with others showing concern. Her first instinct was flight and so that’s exactly what she did…

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

"Good," Astra responded to Renelle. She was startled when a pink-haired boy came over, introducing himself as Tone. He was to take them to the Hospital Wing.

Astra's heart still raced, though slower now, and her head still pounded, though with a little less force, but she was no longer shaking. Or she had simply become used to the violent tremors in her muscles, but who was to say. Not the young Slytherin, that was certain.

Her voice, still, was shaky, wavering, shivery. But it seemed that the terror and shock were quickly passing, washing away as if the waves of the-

no

"I'll be fine," she told Tone, standing to her feet. The dress clung to her legs like the fingers of the-

stop it

"I'll be fine," she repeated, trying to infuse confidence into her tone, "but I think Rodney-"

The Phantom's words then reached her ears and she froze, azure eyes darting to the Phantom and the Healer and the Hawk.
------------------------------Deathwing.

Deathwing.------------------------------

------------------------------Dry drowning.

Secondary drowning.------------------------------

------------------------------That day.

Keep an eye on things.------------------------------

For as long as it took the three to converse, for the Healer and the Hawk to leave, Astra stood like a statue.

She swallowed hard. Bravery. Courage. You're not scared. A Norrick doesn't get scared.

Her tone was pitifully strained, weak even, and held the undeniable edge of a fearful child. "What- what do you mean, the Deathwing?" she asked the Phantom. "What happened? Is it not safe?"

She took a quick glance at Rodney. Would that be the best place for him? A place monikered the "Deathwing"?

actions : getting worried, freaking out a little, the usual

ooc note to Kim : If you want to RP Tone steering Astra away or something of the like you have permission to lightly godmod

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

@Marietta Griffis, Hiro Bakugo, @Pericles Dralt, @Astra Norrick & @Eun-Ji Lee Hunt
@Kim Sato

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

Let the records show, that for once it was not Gryffindor that was the hothead in this confrontation. It was the foolsih Raven whose beak was too large for its brain who had decided that it was smart enough to speak on things that it never could have understood. What was that saying about digression being the better part of valor? At least Piérre knew better than to throw himself fruitlessly headlong into danger before analyzing the situation properly. Pericles had a better handle on the situation than this girl who had so rudely cuffed him upside the head and then had proceeded to insult his wisdom. Piérre was first to acknowledge that intellect was not his strong suit. This was never the argument. No. It was the fact that it was his uncanny instincts and insights that warded him away from danger when it came knocking at his door. This was the thing that had kept him alive, or at least in a condition to be mended in order to be broken at a later time. Such was the cycle, such was the way of this world and of his life. To be made a mockery and to be spat upon and to be derided and slapped; indeed, perhaps such things would escalate into drawn blood. His blood, his life, and his bodily humours.

So he felt no pity when the venom flowed. These were the just desserts of those who had pushed too far and too foolishly. For those who had truly sunk too deeply into the quickmud that even the slightest struggle would prove lethal to their health. Struggle and argue, and fight... and feel the creatures pulling you down and into their mouths for dessert.

But first, first came the spell to dry him off. The spell that would help to lessen his shivering in the darkness and the cold as water continued to drip down his exposed divots of his spine, his lean frame that allowed for only the slightest visibility of the curves of his ribs lithely muscled with an acrobat's physique. A flutter of the balanced yew wand, that master of death and life: "Aer calidus." Came the hissed whisper in no louder than a breath of air through skeletal trees. The wand complied with a vigor of hot and drying wind, washing over the boy with no effort and with a gust that threatened to transform into something greater than a simple warming breeze. In seconds, the boy was dried, very warm, and his hair a holy mess as it always was. But he was alive. He was alive, and that was what counted most.

"If it weren't for the fact that it was on your student record and that I know you are a duelist for your house, I would laugh were you to tell me you're supposed to be a shining figure for the house of Ravenclaw." Piérre began, his eyes suddenly turning hard as glass and darker than jade. The twisting deep in his stomach, deep in his heart, began to boil... it began to seethe, to fester... Raw and demanding, and vicious, and... cruel. "'Secondary drowning' if you've done any research at all, is a term that is overblown and doesn't exist. There is no such thing as Secondary Drowning other than sheer scare tactic and pseudoscience." He snapped, taking a threatening step towards her and tipping his head a little too far in one direction to be considered superficially 'normal'. Like his other limbs, his neck was hyperflexible. Thus was part of his being, part of his nature, flexibility beyond the normal parameters. "I've not nearly drowned once, not twice, but this time makes a third."

Each time the panic did return to him, and for a moment he felt his eyes slip shut as he recalled the sound of water and his heartbeat in his ears, the feeling of water in his lungs before he was brought back once by his brother and his father, once by Katrina, and now by Pericles... the sensation of helplessness, of struggle against the behemoth, to fight against a storm with all the willpower but none of the strength of Odysseus against Poseidon himself. His eyes opened again as the sound of his own scream cut off and reduced to gurgles echoed once in his mind before being condemned once more to a past contained and carefully archived. This was neither the time nor the place. Such things were to be compartmentalized and managed in a more controlled fashion.

"If you knew anything about drowning treatment, you would realize that now that everyone can breathe and that there is no risk of immediate asphyxiation, the next step is to ensure they don't come down with pneumonia, the true culprit of your so-called 'Secondary Drowning', which can occur days to weeks after the incident... not your menacing figure of hours. The worst that will happen are coughing episodes; episodes that can be easily remedied with the help of potions or spells that WE should be able to brew or cast on our own." Another step, and his head tipped the other direction. "Regardless, they'll not find any healing in that place. They'll only find disease, curses, and death. Disease and curses if they're lucky, and... well, the other one if they aren't. I would sooner be gutted alive in a vivisection than to have these little ones suffer when I knew full well the doom waiting and being prepared for them like they were naught but lambs to slaughter." He growled.

"If they vomit, good. That means they're alive. It meant that I was alive." Another step. "If I could, I would gladly suffocate for them. If I couldn't suffocate for them, I would find a way to do it, because unlike me you are the type who would let someone drown if it meant the lives of those and your own you already had under your protection. Because you're calculated and cold and have no heart to speak of. No soul. No guts. You are a cold and limp and flaccid stalk of a spineless wench. Someone I could almost mistake for a eugenicist, even."

There was a curl of a smile, a self-indulging sweetness that came with the euphoria of exercising sadism upon a hapless party for the sake of inflicting pain and nothing more. "Perhaps you are the one that fooled the hat and not I, for while you are trying and pretending to be so smart--oh I see you trying to be so smart, believe me truly and have no doubt of my personally astute observations--you are the stupidest and most cowardly and most heartless and self-absorbed porca vacca Literally: 'Pig cow' I have ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon and be unable to gouge them out thereafter."

'If you want to die so badly, die by yourself.'

His next words were hardly louder than a whisper, as his jaw finally unclenched enough to permit introspective speech. "And perhaps I shall. Will you parade my body through the streets for the entertainment of the children and the feast of crows if I do? If I die alone, I want the rest of the world to know what fate you condemned me to. But, until then: Finché c’è vita c’è speranza. As long as there is life, there is hope. Something I feel you have no knowledge of. And I pity you for it."

Piérre's eyes slowly slid closed again, an afterimage of that silvery being blazing itself for a moment in his mind's eye with those eyes that were both bright and sad...

"That is the game that is played, Peri." He said softly again, crossing his arms and feeling his hands raise to his face in an attempt to seal off the feeble moon and starlight that suddenly hurt his eyes. "This is the ruse. I don't believe that whatever lingers in that place ever left. It won't be safe, at least not for me, until I leave this place for good." His voice cracked ever so slightly. "What feats of magic, do you think? Is it not child's play to create a potion that would deceive all senses but those of the most keen?" His green eyes would meet Pericles' pale and almost crystalline ones. "To wear faces like masks, like mine but made of flesh instead of of witticism or of bravado? A perfect scam, a brilliant psychopath." There came a slightly disturbed giggle. "You may take a murderer's weapons, break his mind and condition him to disregard his former past... but his heart remembers. His very soul teaches him again, causes him to reinvent himself with more malice and cunning than ever before. Reforges the former evil, transforms it into a darkness more potent and lethal than ever. In absence of knives, would he not use even his teeth to meet his ends?"

Piérre felt his brows crease as the world swam with the first of truly unveiled tears. "I'm sick, Pericles." It was the first time he had been willing to confess it, had been willing to speak of his person despite denying so much... so much for so long. "Am I mad? Am I missing my aces from the deck of cards in my mind, or is there anyone else who sees what I see? Surely I'm not the only one, not the only person? Or perhaps I am, and this world has gone mad instead... and if the world has gone mad... why do they not listen when I try to speak sanity to them?" In such logic... "Then I am mad, my mind is not with me. Was it ever, or was it taken from me. And if it was taken... then when? How long? How long have I destroyed, have I killed, all those who come into contact with me in some way?"

The rambling devolved into nothing before Piérre suddenly took a deep gulp of air and looked to the skies, straightening and then smiling again as if nothing had ever overtaken him. "There was an incident. Not too long ago, but relatively. Whatever lurks in the Hospital Wing is not who it claims itself to be. Not entirely. Nothing there is as it seems." These were more directed towards the young girl. "It might be safe in high numbers... but I wouldn't go there or leave anyone in a compromised state there alone." His words were blunt. Serious. Strange for his typical swagger.

Stumbling away a bit, Piérre realized he had to get out of here. There had been too much for the night. Too much for him... all that he could do was to call his cat and make his exit. There was nothing more to be done for fools that had a death wish, regardless of if they consisted of himself or not. He had overstayed his welcome. He didn't want to be caught and toted off to someplace that would damage him further, even at the hands of a friend that meant nothing but well-being.

And still that strange silver shroud fluttered in his mind's eye...

Casting Hot Air Charm on Self
Piérre Exeunts Unless Stopped

Interacting with @Piérre Marchonné & @Astra Norrick
Mentioning @Eun-ji Lee Hunt, Marietta Griffis, Renelle Dalton, Rodney Hughes

“I’m sorry, I’ll be going now. I think it’s best you take care of your friend," Eun-Ji had said.
Piérre had always played the part of the eccentric, something they once bonded over. He was strange, maybe even had a few screws loose, but he never acted outright insane. This was unprecedented, unnerving, and- based on their affiliation- even embarrassing for the fifteen-year-old. He stared in shock as Piérre insulted Eun-Ji for being a Ravenclaw, which was stunning to hear from someone that dabbled in all the house colors, and proceeded to pick apart her analysis of potential post-drowning hazards. Pericles' nose wrinkled when he mentioned he'd almost drowned three times now. Someone needed to make more responsible choices around bodies of water.

On top of ruthlessly criticizing someone who had leapt into the lake to save others, who was both a proficient caster and swimmer, Piérre was still trying to dissuade all near-death, drowning, and hypothermia victims from going to the infirmary wing. "Regardless, they'll not find any healing in that place. They'll only find disease, curses, and death. Disease and curses if they're lucky, and... well, the other one if they aren't. I would sooner be gutted alive in a vivisection than to have these little ones suffer when I knew full well the doom waiting and being prepared for them like they were naught but lambs to slaughter." One of the poor younger-years subjected to this gruesome description spoke at a mortified whimper: "Is it not safe?" The Ravenclaw's typically serene expression was warped by a scowl, shaped by both sympathy and irritation in equal measure. He muttered tersely: "Stop it, Piérre. You're frightening them." Pericles got the impression that this frothing tirade wasn't ending any time soon, and by the time he finished poisoning their heads and hearts with absolute terror, they could have been halfway to a healer. The eagle turned to Astra and urged "Just go- stick together, and you'll be alright." Though he tried to talk gently, the strain in his voice was all too evident. He had long since recanted the suggestion that Piérre be the one to take them there.

Merlin, it was devastating. This was setting a humiliating example. If Hogwarts students were going to survive the insanity of the magical world, they needed to watch out for one-another, not lash out over slights. Eun-Ji had lost her patience, and Piérre had lost his mind. He was in the midst of an insane ramble about how he would happily die for everyone around him, instead of doing what it took to get them all through safely, himself included. He went on to call Eun-Ji a stupid, cowardly, heartless pig-cow, adding that she was a spineless wench and, of all things, a eugenicist. Pericles felt ill just listening to him. Restraining outrage was like swallowing a hot stone, it boiled in his belly and sent steam through his veins. An angry flush disrupted his pallor. "That's enough," he spat with a white flash of teeth.

Things had been taken so far in such little time. Piérre had never acted this way in front of Pericles, so he would warrant a reaction from the Ravenclaw he'd never known before: he could see his friend withdraw in his eyes. Peri was pulling away from him. That well of patience wasn't infinite, and after such a long-winded sharp-toothed display, it seemed to have dried up. Pericles was disturbed, even deeply disgusted by the rant. He had seen the way Eun-Ji *winced when Piérre threw out that strangely specific word, and while she had the grace and good sense to simply walk away, the Gryffindor didn't seem to know when to stop. Pericles wanted to be furious with him. He would be right to be angry, but he saw those tears threatening to spill, and he remembered how worried he'd been when Piérre first went under. Peri's face was tense with withheld words, though those tears worked to stave off a talking-to. Narrowly.

"I'm sick, Pericles."
"I can see that."
"Am I mad?" Pericles was less willing to answer that time.
"...why do they not listen when I try to speak sanity to them?"
"Pi... it's a bit difficult to take you seriously when you're calling people eugenic wenches."

All that was good willing, they were alone by then. Pericles hoped the others moved on to get the help they needed. Piérre was a different story, because while he definitely needed help, it didn't take a sleuth to realize he needed a scope of care far beyond what Hogwarts could offer. Still, the wary look he was being given- as if Peri was braced in the path of an unpredictable beast- faded some as he offered a nugget of context. "There was an incident. Not too long ago, but relatively. Whatever lurks in the Hospital Wing is not who it claims itself to be. Not entirely. Nothing there is as it seems." Pericles often wore a mask of neutrality. Now his emotions blended in an all too honest display: concern, impatience, irritation, albeit a small spark of belief amidst it all. He wanted to understand, and he wanted to help. This just wasn't the time. "We need to talk, then. I want to know what you've seen, Pi, but this..." his head shook, and the hard furrow of his forehead gave way with an exasperated sigh. "...terrifying kids isn't the best way to convey what you know. Go back to your dorm. Lie down. Heal. We'll talk soon, alright?"

Action: Trying to reel in the Piérrambling and reassure the kiddos + direct them to the infirmary
*Eun-Ji's reaction was described by her player + shared with consent

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 - VIII

Axyen waited patiently and with a smile on his face. Axyen imagined there had to be some kind of limit, just like there was a limit on magic. Magic couldn't make bring your imaginations to reality, at least not that Axyen saw. Daphne seemed to struggle answering, maybe the answer wasn't as straight-forward as Axyen was expecting? After a little bit, Daphne finally replied to Axyen, after a while she exclaimed that the answer was yes. There were more inventions other than the scary-sounding rollercoasters. Axyen's eyes lighten up as Daphne explained that the possibilities were infinite, there were no boundaries. "Really? That sounds awesome!" Axyen said, sounding excited thinking Axyen thought that was incredible, and his imagination was already running wild just thinking about all of the potential possibilities. Daphne seemed to think Axyen asked a great question, Axyen was not quite sure he could agree. Sometimes he felt like the questions he asked were super obvious; however, Axyen decided to not voice this opinion at all and simply did a silent tiny nod. Somehow, that seemed even worse than the first option. Maybe Axyen just needed to stop overthinking this topic. Suddenly, Daphne just poked Axyen's nose a little. It was in a playful manner, and Axyen felt oddly embarrassed.

Daphne laughed as soon as Axyen brought up Hogsmeade, she began working on her lantern again which reminded Axyen to start shading the wood of the wand. Daphne began to explain in surprising detail that Hogsmeade was an incredible place. Despite the cold, but there was a lot of cool and fun shops just filled to the brim with magical snacks and items. Axyen remembered he saw a Muggle place he really wanted to visit, but he didn't have enough money at the time and was unable to pay for anything. Axyen continued to listen to Daphne, who stated that she got to go to Hogsmeade with her parents. Axyen had to act, although that was not his strong suit in any form. "W-wow..!" Axyen said, that was truly phenomenal(terrible) acting on his part. "That's r...really lucky!" Axyen added, wanting to face palm, he had one job and failed miserably. His voice faltered a little perhaps he would never be a good liar. Not like he needed to be a good liar, it was one of his better traits, not being able to lie, after all, being truthful was always better. Axyen would simply need to hope Daphne didn't catch that and continue acting like nothing happened. Daphne also seemed to want to go to Hogsmeade with Axyen next year, which Axyen also wanted to do as well. Daphne added in the fact that hopefully Axyen doesn't become famous and forgets her completely. "Me? Famous? That doesn't even belong in the same sentence!" Axyen said with a smile. Besides, I'll never forget you! That's a promise!" Axyen added with a smile.

Daphne soon went onto exclaim that she knew that Axyen's lamp had some sort of relation to dueling. It felt obvious, Axyen loved dueling with a passion and it was easily the first thing that came to mind. Axyen blushed slightly as Daphne went on to say that Axyen could become a great dueler and even went on to call him swift and mighty. Axyen covered his face with his hands. "N-no, I-I..!" Axyen was left stunned. "I-I didn't d-do all t-that much!" Axyen said after a few seconds. Axyen thought for a moment and stopped hiding his face. "T-then in that c-case... That makes you.... Daphne! World star Quidditch player, best seeker known in the Wizarding World!" Axyen said, still slightly in shock. Axyen watched Daphne shake her head in response to his guess, which wasn't really unexpected. Daphne gave Axyen a hint, a person or some type of living being, which closed off a lot of possibilities. "Hm..." Axyen was trying to think of the most realistic possibility. "....Maybe.... Your cat?" Axyen guessed, he originally was about to guess that Daphne was painting herself, but Axyen knew that some people preferred mirrors when painting themselves. It was all just a guess so he would simply have to wait. Arnold continued to roll away from Alduin, Arnold was planning on doing a massive circle and then hide behind Axyen.

Mentioning...

Reducio

@Daphne Sapphirus