The Red Queen's Labyrinth Group 7

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It was this time in the Spring again. The Spring Ball. It was different from previous balls, they had announced that there would be an exciting maze. Fun. But it could also be dangerous. Whatever it was, Zach ran to meet Landon to tell him about it. He also whimpered asked Landon to participate in this maze thing with him. It wasn't hard to persuade Landon to register for the event. And so they were registered. They didn't know who to ask to join their group and requested that they be grouped with other students. Zach knew it would be exciting. New friend. New danger. New fun.

Zach was in his dorm right now. He dressed neatly from the package his mother sent some days before. Zach didn't know why his mom sent him a slightly oversized brown suit. But he didn't complain. And like previous balls, he didn't use his silver-framed eyeglasses. He thought glasses would ruin his outfit and he survived previous dangers. He would definitely survive this one. Hopefully.

He slung his enchanted satchel over his left shoulder. It was stocked with many things that probably would be useful, in his opinion. He also held the key that had been sent by the committee. He was ready for whatever he would face enjoy in that maze. The Ravenclaw boy also told his friend, Landon, to meet him in the Small Hall. He would wait for him inside the door.

The boy was too excited. He ran from his common room, passing the annoying door. His step was stopped once he faced many doors in front of him. He looked at the door one by one, checking which one matched his key. Once he found it, he opened the door and entered the room.

It wasn't ordinary.

He could see a garden in an elegant European style in front of him. He wondered what kind of magic was used in making this. Perhaps they also used Ancient Runes? He didn't know. But it was cool. He looked around to see if he was the first or if there was somebody else in this garden. Perhaps Landon was already here.

Action: Going to Path 1
@Landon Matthews; @Sabrina Lyons; @Natasha Jones; @Veda Lunar
TRUNK
STA 8 | EVA 11 | STR 3 | WIS 12 | ARC 10 | ACC 12
Rapid Reviver | Blindvision | Healing Sage | Paragon of Health (Landon Matthews and Veda Lunar)
Inventory: Wand | Enchanted Satchel (containing potions)

Reducio

Outfit

Red Queen's Labyrinth

Location/Time Reducio Red Queen's Labyrinth's Entrance

Current Outfit Reducio Black silk short dress

Mentions Reducio @Zach Zaphiere | @Landon Matthews | @Natasha Jones | @Sabrina Lyons

Veda slid on her flats, sitting on the side of her bed. She had opted for shoes that could be easy to run in, rather than the heels most girls would wear. Though, most girls that she knew were going to the dance, not to a potentially dangerous maze. Veda already had her doubts about this experience she signed up for. She didn't know who she was going to be paired with, which might lead to silence on her part. However, Veda was determined to at least try to contribute to the ideas of the group.

This was her first time attending the spring ball. She was rather excited, even if she wasn't much of a social person, mainly due to the theme. She loved the idea of basing the activity on a book. She quickly grabbed her wand, and other supplies, namely Potions. She didn't know if they would be useful, but might as well grab them anyway.

Veda headed up from the Hufflepuff common room to the Small Hall, where the event started. She double checked the location many times before, so she was sure on where it was and how to get to it.

As she walked into the Small Hall, she took out her key, a vine wrapped beauty, and tried the doors lining the corridor. After a while, the seventh door opened and she walked in. She saw a boy, older than her, standing there and looking around. She shut the door and stood awkwardly next to it, not not so much that she would get hit when the next person opened the door. "Perfect," she thought, "Already not initiating the conversation. Great work Veda, making great progress on that promise to yourself."

Word Count: 293~

Action: Going to Path One
TRUNK
STA 5 | EVA 7 | STR 5 | WIS 6 | ARC 5 | ACC 7
Metamorphmagus
Inventory: Wand | Potions

Natasha stood in front of her mirror, unsure if her outfit was appropriate. The girl had reasoned to herself that wearing heels and a dress in the maze would be a recipe for disaster. Instead, she was wearing a comfortable (but fashionable) red and white sweater —to go with the Wonderland theme— along with red pants, a cap and a bag to carry potions, just in case. Her dress for the main event was already laid out on her bed, and she gave it an almost giddy smile as she stared at it. Glancing up, she gasped at the time and hurried out of her room.

She entered the small hall hesitantly, clutching the intricately vine-wrapped key she received a few days ago by owl. Signing up for the Red Queen's Labyrinth was a spur of the moment decision, and she blamed it on the sugar rush she'd gotten after dinner some nights ago. Natasha considered herself adventurous, but she always either knew the person she'd be 'adventuring' with, or she'd be going alone. This time, she was stuck navigating a maze of sorts with people she —to the best of her knowledge— didn't know.

Staring at the vast array of doors before her, Natasha marveled at the sheer scope of magic, and a smile crept across her face, vanishing her previous hesitation. She glanced around, looking for a door that might match her key. With no plan in mind, she decided to try every door, and was rewarded when the key fit perfectly into the keyhole of a red, triangular door.
Pushing it open, she walked in and stared in surprise at a fancy garden of sorts, with red roses adorning the hedges that were placed across the room. There was a checkered pathway leading forwards, and it seemed like the path was branching off in the distance.

Two of her teammates were already there, and she recognized the boy as a fellow Ravenclaw—perhaps a third-or fourth year— whom she'd occasionally seen in the common room. The girl however, Natasha did not recognize, but she seemed to be a second-or third year.
Wondering who else was going to join, she decided to voice her question, "Do either of you know who's going to join us, or how many people?" Belatedly realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet, she hurriedly added a "I'm Natasha, by the way"

Action: Going to Path One
wc: 397
Outfit (no headphones)
@Zach Zaphiere @Landon Matthews @Veda Lunar @Sabrina Lyons
TRUNK
STA 5 | EVA 8 | STR 4 | WIS 6 | ARC 7 | ACC 5
Abilities: Prodigal Potions Learner
Inventory: Wand | Potions

Banner made by Veda Lunar! Thank you!

Time for the Spring Ball again already? Landon was amazed at how quickly time could pass. When Zach asked him to join him in the maze for the ball, Landon hesitated at first. He hadn't had great experiences at the balls, though it had been fun to dance with Zach the last time they got together for a ball. But a maze? Landon was a little nervous, but when he heard that a group would be working together instead of just him and Zach alone, he relaxed a little more and agreed.

He really wanted to spend time with Zach.

So he put on his suit, not really sure if it was necessary to dress up or not, but Harper had told him to wear a suit anyway, and who was Landon to deny his twin sister. She was the more fashionable one of the two of them anyway. Landon preferred to let her take control over what he wore. She was stubborn about fashion, and he was clueless.

Landon carried his wand in one hand and the key that he had received in the other as he went to find the Small Hall. He paused in front of the many doors, trying to figure out which one would match the key that he was given. He didn't try them all willy-nilly, using his observation to figure out what door was the right one for the key. He opened the right door and walked inside, pausing right inside the room with wide eyes.

Sometimes magic was amazing. Landon didn't love magic as much as he loved history, but he was always amazed at what it could do when in the right hands. He saw a fancy garden in front of him, taking in the view with a smile, before he turned his head and saw the others there. Landon quickly moved to stand next to Zach. "Hey Zach," he said, smiling. He was happy to be united with his friend. "Maybe we both overdressed?" he said, looking at the others. He moved his hand up to loosen his own tie a little, to relax his appearance a little.

Landon then turned his attention to the others in the room. "Hi, I'm Landon, and this is Zach," he said, introducing the other boy as well. He didn't know anyone other than Zach though one of the people looked familiar and was probably a Hufflepuff. Landon didn't know every single Hufflepuff though. "So... what do we do now?" he asked. "Are we waiting for someone else?"

Action: Going to Path 1
Outfit: Same as in banner.
@Zach Zaphiere; @Sabrina Lyons; @Natasha Jones; @Veda Lunar
TRUNK
STA 9 | EVA 10 | STR 6 | WIS 7 | ARC 6 | ACC 15
Wandmaker | Keeper's Catch | Impartial
Inventory: Wand

Ah, spring. The season of change and rebirth. Of easter, valentine, blooming flowers and, for the students of the magical school, a second ball of the year, no less extravagant than the last. With this one came a sign-up sheet for a 'labyrinth' which, amongst many others, adhorned the signature of one Sabrina Lyons. The day of, said raven was scurrying around her room, making some last minute but no less excessive packing. Potions, herbs, snacks - anything she deemed mildly useful was thrown into her enchanted satchal. Afterall, one could never prepare enough for these school events. After giving her, now messy, room a final once-over, she slammed it's door shut, startling her small owl and hurrying down the endless flights of stairs.

Some time ago, a key, red and floral, was send to her by an owl, supposedly useful in the mysterious ball adventure. Standing in a ridiculously big rabbit burrow, facing the myriad of doors, the witch finally understood why. It took a lot of rattling with keys and groaning until she found the right doors - really, who thought of this system? Behind it layed a beautiful garden which most definitely was not there the last time she visited the small hall and, according to her hazy memory of it, shouldn't fit. Reminded of the decorative spell she's seen on their school trip to France, she had but a moment to ponder it's origin before seeing the small group of students present.

'Me, sorry, I am a bit late' she answered one of the boy's question when skipping over to them, hand extanded in an offer of a handshake to anyone who'd take it, 'Sabrina, Sabrina Lyons, Brie for short. What exactly am I looking at?' she turned her gaze to the different paths, making a grimace when seeing the middle. 'Oh please tell me we're not going there?' Sure, she's been getting more comfortable in group settings since winter, but that didn't mean she would like to jump into foreign festivities uninvited.

She read the instructions aloud, having no evident problem doing so. 'Knowing local, huh' her gaze fell on the dancing creatures for a beat. Surely the advice didn't mean them right? She supposed, or hoped, not.

Items on person: wand, the enchanted satchal, potions, chocolate bar, sticky caramel, generic pet treat, gillyweed, chamomile, aloe vera
(If the number of items isn't allowed, please let me know and I'll edit it)

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Ability: Fearless
Trunk

Interacting with @Zach Zaphiere, @Landon Matthews, @Veda Lunar and @Natasha Jones

The members of Group 7 entered the labyrinth with their keys in relative awkwardness. Despite the initial social hurdles, Natasha and Landon Matthews drove some ice-breaking introductions. As the final members joined the group, they began to ponder about the pathways that they had to choose from. Sabrina Lyons read the instructions aloud, seemingly hesitant as she glanced at the second path's gleefully dancing gnomes.

In the end, this group of intrepid explorers chose to go down the colourful, nature-filled FIRST PATH. However, it seemed like nature wasn't receptive to guests today. It would only take a few steps into the path before mushrooms squirted volumes of dense, powdery mist into the air, in all sorts of colours. The mist would eventually become too thick, spurring the sensible participants to escape back to the entrance of the first path. If any brave soul decided to try to push past the mist, they would stumble upon a marshmallow-soft tile and feel a sudden tug in their gut. When they open their eyes, they would find themselves magically appearing back in the area they were in before, surrounded by the rest of their group. Once again, at the start of the first obstacle, participants would see letters formed in red mist, blocking the first path from view: “This is the wrong way! Back out you go!”

It was as if the first path was rejecting them. The plants certainly didn’t want them to go down there. So, which path would they go down next?

OOC Instructions

Reducio

Rules
Uh oh, that was the wrong path, challengers! Please try again and read the bolded part of the riddle carefully. Hint: There is only one path with “knowing locals” who will ensure your safety.

1. Similar to before, moderation will occur once a week, if at least HALF of the members in the group have posted an action.
   • If one or no members post an action that round, moderation will happen only the next week to give more time for members to post. This is for the sake of game progress.
   • If there are any special circumstances (eg, members are ill), please owl us. We will consider making exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
2. Each participant is allowed one moderated action per round. In this case, this would be another single path of your group's choice. Please include your abilities and stats in your post.
   • PLEASE STATE YOUR MODERATED ACTION IN YOUR POST! (as an OOC note).
3. Please follow all usual HIO rules.
   • This includes 200 IC word requirements.

Group 7

1. @Zach Zaphiere
2. @Landon Matthews
3. @Veda Lunar
4. @Natasha Jones
5. @Sabrina Lyons

NEXT DEADLINE: 1 week from time of posting

This cool banner was made by Novalie Moon

Zach turned his head when he heard the sound of the door. A girl, whom he wasn't familiar with was standing awkwardly. He tilted his head and was about to initiate interaction when he saw another opening in the door. He was familiar with this girl since they're in the same house, Ravenclaw, but didn't know her name before she introduced herself as Natasha. Zach nodded and smiled at her. @Veda Lunar & @Natasha Jones

The next person came in. It was his friend, Landon. As Landon moved himself to be near Zach, Zach also walked closer to stand beside him. "I don't think so," Zach replied. "I remember someone said this: 'If I die, I'd better die in a fancy dress than in my pyjamas'," he joked. As Hogwarts events were famous for their danger, Zach, of course, didn't want to die. He was sure he wouldn't die either in this maze. He had lived until this fourth year and had experienced my Balls events. He was pretty confident. "You look nice, by the way," Zach said. He gave the Hufflepuff boy a double thumbs up. He nodded when Landon introduced him to the group. @Landon Matthews

And the last person came in. Zach was also familiar with her as she was a Ravenclaw, like him. She introduced herself as Brie. Zach smiled and took the handshake. Zach then looked at the rest of the group and introduced himself, "As Landon introduced before, I'm Zach, a Fourth Year Ravenclaw. I'm prepared with some potions, so we don't need to worry too much. I guess. Let's have fun in this maze," he said. The big grin was shown to the group. A smile that showed he was ready to face anything. @Sabrina Lyons

Zach looked at the girl who came after him. "What about you? I think we haven't met before," he asked. He expected an introduction since it would be appropriate for the team to know each other's names for easier communication. @Veda Lunar

When Brie said something about the middle path, Zach could only tilt his head and see it himself. Group of gnomes dancing. He wasn't sure about the path. And despite being a Ravenclaw, he didn't take a closer look at the riddle either. His eyes looked at the first path where there were many colourful fungi on the ground. That path stole his attention. After Brie finished her reading, Zach asked, "Should we go to the first path? It looks pretty and exciting," he said. He waited for the others to put in their opinion.

So after the decision, Zach followed Path 1. Colourful fungi on the ground were indeed pretty. Zach walked beside Landon and couldn't stop pointing his fingers at fungi in different shapes and colours. But his happiness was stopped when the creature spurted out a thick powdery mist to them. Not one, not two, but groups of them. "RUN BACK!!!" Zach screamed.

The boy collapsed on the first ground after running. His breath was heavy from the sudden use of huge energy. Then he laughed for some good seconds. "That was fun," he giggled. The boy stood up and cleaned everything he found alien on his suit and talked to them with a big grin, "Wrong path."

"What path do you think is the right one?" he asked. His mind kept thinking of going to Path 2 since he didn't really like seeing the gems. The gnomes might be the most fun ones. Perhaps they could get sweets or some fresh water.

Yes, the boy indeed didn't learn from the mistake.

Action: Going to Path 2
@Landon Matthews; @Sabrina Lyons; @Natasha Jones; @Veda Lunar
TRUNK
STA 8 | EVA 11 | STR 3 | WIS 12 | ARC 10 | ACC 12
Rapid Reviver | Blindvision | Healing Sage | Paragon of Health (Landon Matthews and Veda Lunar)
Inventory: Wand | Enchanted Satchel (containing potions)

Reducio

Outfit

Red Queen's Labyrinth

Location/Time Reducio Red Queen's Labyrinth's Entrance

Current Outfit Reducio Black silk short dress

Mentions Reducio @Zach Zaphiere | @Landon Matthews | @Natasha Jones | @Sabrina Lyons

Veda smile awkwardly at the boy's inquiring. She indeed hadn't met him before, as she believed she would remember him due to his confident nature. In the first two minutes of meeting him she could already tell how he would behave. That was one of her gifts, she is always observant. However, she never shared any of her knowledge, which might be a downfall, Veda acknowledged. Realizing the Ravenclaw asked her a question, she snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm Veda a second year Hufflepuff. Sorry!" she said, adding on the sorry out of habit. Why am I apologizing? she grimaced. @Zach Zaphiere

As the team entered the first path, Veda basically trailed in the back, ducking behind the girl who introduced herself as Natasha. Veda assumed this path wouldn't be right, after all, she read the riddle in detail and nothing pointed towards this path, bur she didn't have to guts to speak up. However, when they got ushered out by the plants themselves, she still squeaked in surprise. Veda didn't do well with jumpscares.

When they reentered their home camp with the garden, she finally spoke up. "Maybe we can go down the middle? The gnome said not to go alone, and the second path has a party going on." she said quietly, "I mean, I'm up for anything actually, sorry," Veda rushed to add on.

Word Count: 226/200

Action: Going to Path Two
TRUNK
STA 5 | EVA 7 | STR 5 | WIS 6 | ARC 5 | ACC 7
Metamorphmagus
Inventory: Wand | Potions

Natasha chuckled softly as Zach joked about his and Landon's outfit, ignoring the pit in her stomach screaming that she was VERY underdressed
"As Landon introduced before, I'm Zach, a Fourth Year Ravenclaw. I'm prepared with some potions, so we don't need to worry too much. I guess. Let's have fun in this maze,"
Natasha mentally tried to recall everyone's names- Zach, Landon, Sabrina, andd she couldn't remember if the last girl had introduced herself.
"I'm Veda a second year Hufflepuff. Sorry!"
She smiled lightly at Veda, before turning her attention to the maze as Sabrina read the riddle out loud.

Glancing at the three pathways, she contemplated at what the riddle might mean:
'To brave the jungle
is to have a knowing local in the bundle.
To go without, you'd best have an out!'
It seemed like this could apply to paths 1 and 2, since path 1 was more of a jungle setup, and path 2 had gnomes, which Natasha assumed could fulfill the role of a 'knowing local'. Unable to decide between the two, she agreed with Zach, and once everyone seemed okay with Path 1, off they went.

She looked around at the vivid, colorful fungi and plants, excited as the challenge began,
Suddenly, thick colorful mist seemed to envelope them, growing until her eyes could barely make out anything but the colors swirling in front of her.
She heard Zach screaming at the others to run back, but she walked forward, and couldn't help but wonder whether she should try casting Finite Incantatem. Due to her lack of practice with the spell. she decided against it, and turned on her feet, ready to follow the others out. Unfortunately, she'd waited too long, and suddenly she felt a pulling sensation in her gut, and the next thing she knew, she was at the crossroad once again. Holding the wall to steady herself, she glanced at the misty letters that had enveloped the first path
“This is the wrong way! Back out you go!”

"Wrong path."
" You don't say," she shot back, grinning at the older Ravenclaw

Zach asked the group which path they thought would work best, and Natasha was fairly certain the path of the beady-eyed gnomes would be correct.
"Maybe we can go down the middle? The gnome said not to go alone, and the second path has a party going on."
"I second that" agreed Natasha, giving a reassuring smile to Veda, who kept on apologizing and seemed nervous at speaking up in front of everybody.

Action: Going to Path two
wc: 424
Outfit (no headphones)
@Zach Zaphiere @Landon Matthews @Veda Lunar @Sabrina Lyons
TRUNK
STA 5 | EVA 8 | STR 4 | WIS 6 | ARC 7 | ACC 5
Abilities: Prodigal Potions Learner
Inventory: Wand | Potions