Quidditch Stands || Secret Blossom Ball Event

@Breana Oliveire, @Ruby Cazares, @Xailah Alptraum, @Margo White, @Meenauh Silmataurea

Breana's stammering attempts at remaining civil in spite of the onslaught were like a candle flickering in an icy breeze. Ruby's observation, gentle though it may be, had Pericles shaking his head. "She didn't need to," he murmured tensely. Xailah had done far more than simply tell Breana to leave. It was clear that she resented his defense, and her scathing chastisement made his face burn, his eyes sting with hurt. But her ire was echoed in him. "Then don't behave as one! Your insults aren't 'helpful' to anyone, they're beastly."

There was a guilt in him, an embarrassment; he had asked Breana to come along, and here Xailah was berating her for merely existing, accusing her of being an intentional victim. Xailah spat at the girl as though she were a pebble in a shoe, not a living, breathing, feeling young witch whom had come to a ball with the innocent dream of dancing. He was ashamed that she was suffering this spontaneous belittling, because he had asked her to stay with them. The boy had hinged on a fantasy, the delusional dream of those he liked meshing automatically. Precariously sustaining a brave face, he rebuked the metamorph's deduction with a stern tone. "I do not determine my friends by how practical they are to me. I decide them by their kindness." It didn't matter if Breana was a tactical master or a bumbling novice; she was his friend, whether or not Xailah was willing to share that title. Her decision to avoid him certainly sounded final enough. Lifting his chin in a forced attempt at appearing unwavering, the Ravenclaw closed on a strained statement. "I didn't think your friendship would be so fragile."

There wasn't enough time for talk- by then, continuing would entail shouting over the combat, and he hardly had the focus for that. The droning of mosps, screams of students, and cracks of spells splitting the stadium air made for a most distracting cacophony. Pericles tried to focus, though his ears still burned and throat felt tight from trying to stave off Xailah's vitriol. Margo's query concerning the flowers had his mind racing, fumbling, tripping over solutions which simply refused to add up. The planners hadn't made a contingency plan for getting rid of the flowers... how could they do so in a pinch, or would depriving the mosps of their attraction only aggravate them? The flurry of thoughts was interrupted as Breana asked to team up. It took a moment for Pericles to register her words, wide eyes out of focus when first they flicked her way, then he assured "That was why I'd asked- yes, let's." The ripping of her skirt summoned a short sorry smile from under his tense expression. It was a shame that this had become a necessity, knowing the sentimentality of the attire, yet at least she wasn't the type to fuss over clothes. He supposed now was not the time to tell her he was rubbish on a broom.

Before Breana could join him however, Xailah had turned her unpredictable animosity upon the approaching mosp. She physically flung at it, causing him to cry out, and Pericles struggled not to kneejerk cast in the thing's direction. His Lumos was the sole source of light for their circle. So he could only watch, mortified, as both bug and witch tried to tear at one another. Meenauh's appearance into their circle of light was an unexpected but not unwelcome sight. Still, her Flipendo burst forth, causing a cringe in him. Regardless of his spat with Xailah, it wasn't as though he wished her any harm. The risk of striking her, and the light he sustained, prevented him from trying. Standing simply would not do. Every instinct cried out for action, neurons firing for a fight or flight response, and ultimately impulse insisted upon both. Swinging his leg over the school broom- wobbly, bottom-tier thing that it was- he quickly kicked off from the stand and hugged close to the shaft, rocketing towards the scuffle.

Action: If the Flipendo misses or hits the mosp, battering it away with end of broom.
If Flipendo strikes Xailah, attempting a catch.
Sustaining lumos, holding wand against broom.

Interacting with: @Nico Shymane, @Quinn Healy & @Saskia Nicholson

Serena nodded in response to Saskia, handing her the broom and relying on her to cast the flare. For now, all she could do was maintain her light and try and keep Nico and Marissa safe. In all honesty, she was terrified. These creatures, whatever they were, what if they were attracted to the light? It might keep the shadows away but other things could definitely be attracted to light - like bugs. And these sounded like bugs. But they needed to see what they were dealing with if they were going to have a chance of surviving. As much as she would love to see in the dark, she could not. Apparently she had not eaten enough carrots in her lifetime yet.

She heard Quinn's familiar voice calling out for Nico. Phew, that was one less worry. Her eyes moved up to the sky, where Saskia's periculum launched into the air. A small sense of hope filled her. Someone had to see that, surely? Anyone who was out patrolling the grounds would see it, surely. It was as high as they were going to get, it could be spotted from any of the windows facing out in this direction or from the grounds itself. Serena silently just prayed that professors would stop it and realise the danger they were in. As she was looking around, trying to make sense of everything, Serena was mostly ignoring the conversation between Nico and Quinn, silently panicking to herself as she was trying to figure out how to get out of here or defend against the creatures. Her breathing was audible, though likely drowned out by the sounds around them.

Hearing Nico's voice as she called her name out with panic in her voice suddenly. Big bugs, what? Her gaze followed the direction Nico was looking in. Giant... bugs. That was literally the description. Serena could not say she recognised what they were - mosquitoes? But... a ton bigger? She did enjoy Care of Magical Creatures but she did not actually know what they were. They had not learned about them yet, had they? Did someone engorgio mosquitoes?

"I dunno what they are but we do need to get out of here. Use your broom," She instructed, encouraging Nico to fly the heck out of there. They could easily fit two people to a broom, she could take Quinn with her. Saskia could take Marissa. That left Serena to find another broom... which she could do. Her hand moved to her bag. She had her invisibility cloak in it, she could sneak past the bugs if they relied on sight or she could make a run towards a broom closet. There had to be some around, surely.

Her eyes scanned the area, trying to spot for something resembling a broom. Nico's panicked voice echoed in her ears. Glancing over, she put on the bravest smile she could muster up, "You'll be fine, Nico. Stay with Quinn, you'll be fine... They'll come. They have to..." Serena said as confidently as she could, though she was not entirely sure she believed it. But... Lear had saved her, right? He had found her in the forest that day. If it was not for her former Head of House, she likely would not have been here. She clutched her wand, they would come. They had to. Nico, Quinn, Saskia, Marissa... Everyone here would be okay... They had to be... She looked at Quinn. Yeah. He could definitely tank a hit or two and use himself as a shield. Nico was almost half his height, and a lot smaller. She could easily hide behind him. And she knew Quinn well enough to know he had been through his fair share of life threatening situations. At the very least, Serena was confident in the badgers abilities and experience. They had been through hell and they were still standing strong.

The bugs did not seem to be attracted to them. Perhaps the light did not matter to them... She needed to find more brooms though. Her eyes hit the sight of one of the bugs on fire. Oh lord. This could end in a disaster and quickly. They needed to get up in the air and faster. "Anyone seen spare brooms? We need to get them to everyone!" She decided, it was faster easier to fly than to run from flying creatures. Serena was, at the very least, confident in her quidditch abilities. The people around them... there were were quidditch players. Nico, Quinn, Saskia and Serena alone could take another four people if they had enough brooms. The four of them could out-fly the bugs, surely.

ACTION: Maintain Lumos, looking for the spare brooms

dress: Reducio

shoes: Reducio none

| sta: 6 | eva: 7 | str: 6 | wis: 8 | arcp: 4 | acc: 10 |
race: metamorphmagus iiii abilities: sixth sense

mentions: N/A | interacting with: @Celynne Gray @Dmitri Jones

To be honest, Cecily wasn't one hundred percent sure that the whole plan was going to work. She very much hoped that it would, of course, but as with any plan, there was so much that could go wrong. If Dmitri didn't nail his cast, their battle with the mosps would be over as soon as it started, with a clear winner that wouldn't be the young children. Their endeavor could easily grind to a painful end with half-transfigured owls-- or, rather, an armband with claws and a flying book. Plus, who was to say that Cecily's and Celynne's spells would even enlarge the owls enough to take on bugs of unusual size? Sure, the boy's idea it seemed great in theory, but hey, so did Communism. And everyone knew how that worked out.

So, with not particularly high hopes in the first place, Cecily's spirits plummeted further as the light that shot from Dmitri's wand hit not his targets, but...his boots? The Ravenclaw was momentarily shocked at the boy's epic failure. Perhaps he simply had poor aim, but his targets were point blank. One would think he'd at least be able to hit a textbook that's right at his feet. Instead of, you know, hit feet.

But regardless of the boy's ability, this is what they were stuck with now, whether they could work with it or not. For a moment, Cecily was prepared to look away if the owls ended up transfigured around Dmitri's feet-- that could get real gory real quick-- but thankfully, the majestic birds detached themselves from the feet they once belonged to and took to the sky. Both of the Ravenclaws' follow-up spells seemed to work without a hitch, for which Cecily was grateful. Now, the two mighty creatures rose high above the trio, en route to the threatening mosp as Dmitri stared, glassy-eyed, into space.

They had gotten off to a rocky start, that was undeniable. But they did indeed have owls, and that was a start. With piercing screeches, the two birds flew directly towards their prey. but one was not quite so lucky. The bug's massive stinger ripped through the feathers and flesh of one of the owls. A pitiful cry ripped through the air as the mosp's stinger drove deep into the bird. Cecily winced, feeling the pain of the bird, but not nearly as much as Dmitri had to have been. The boy was mentally linked with the birds, thinking their thoughts, feeling their anguish. She could only imagine what was going through his head as the battle raged above their heads, the owls continuing their noble fight as avian bodyguards for the trio.

Now Celynne, always prepared, was quick to take up the now-open role of quick thinker, with Dmitri now out of commission. Cecily, not being much of a leader herself, preferring to fall into the role of aloof outsider, was happy to follow her fellow Ravenclaw's lead. The other girl moved to cast a healing spell on the injured owl before yelling a suggestion-- more of a command, really-- at Cecily. Cecily, catching her drift, raised her wand, feeling slightly more confident now that her past casts had not gone terribly. Aiming at the mosp, Cecily paused for a moment, timing her spell to avoid the owls. It would be incredibly counter-productive if Cecily missed her target and ended up freezing one of their owl protectors, leaving it open for attack from the massive bug. And so, when Cecily was sure the massive birds were out of the fine of fire, she pointed her wand and yelled. "Immobulus!" With any luck, this cast would go just as swimmingly as the rest-- well, except for Dmitri's new owl boots.

action: cast immobulus at mosp #3

Interacting with: @Serena Towers

Actions: Trying to get the brooms over to Serena.

@Ruby Cazares, @Xailah Alptraum, @Pericles Dralt and @Breana Oliveire

Before the Blossom Ball, Margo hadn’t thought it was possible to feel awkward whilst being attacked. It was safe to say she had been proven wrong. Cool as Xailah was, her treatment of the girl in the gown was starting to appear more than merely overdramatic. Merlin, the poor girl had implied that she was learning to sew and had the guts to say so in the dark whilst being attacked by giant stinging insects. If that didn’t put her in a good light then Margo didn’t know what would. So was it wrong of her to assume that Xailah held high standards for anyone wishing to become her friend? Margo thought not. It looked as if she might have to up her game to win herself a place in Xailah’s good books.

Unfortunately, a Quidditch stadium full of panicking students wasn’t the place to display her charm to the world... just her courage. Xailah seemed to be handling most of the impulsive bravery for the group, though, and Margo couldn’t help but scowl at the brave girl’s back. How dare she put herself in jeopardy! How dare she build her castle of greatness so high that a mere mortal like Margo couldn’t even hope of climbing it! The girl was foolish too. The respect Margo felt for her was distracting her from what she needed to do. And she had a nice little plan, too.

Margo stopped gripping Ruby’s hand like a vice and directed her wand towards Xailah and the Mosp. ”Spongify.” She said clearly, aiming for the Mosp’s armoured back. Was the softening charm an offensive spell? No. But that was the point, wasn’t it? If she hit Xailah, she didn’t want to injure the girl. The Mosp, on the other hand... hopefully it’s protective armour would soften and Xailah could slice it to ribbons. But then there was the complication of the newcomer down below, and, more importantly, her Flipendo. Margo felt a spark of irritancy at the new girl’s carelessness. A spell like that could send Xailah flying, and Margo knew all too well that flying was something to be avoided, regardless of any broomsticks in the equation. But when she slid her gaze onto Xailah’s possible saviour’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed anymore. In fact, every sliver of annoyance in her body somehow dissipated. For the girl’s face wasn’t clueless. She didn’t even look impulsive. No, this was the face of a friend.

It was what Margo would have done for Ruby, and for the smallest amount of a second, she imagined what it would have been like it it had been her friend clawing the Mosp instead. She shivered. Selfish though it may be, she couldn’t help but be thankful that Ruby was standing next to her unharmed. However, perhaps there could be a benefit to being emotionally detached from the girl with the metal claws — she would listen to what the girl had said.

”Look, Xailah wanted us to go.” She said, alternating her stare between Pericles’s and the gown girl’s gazes. ”And I’m not saying we leave her, but we should get in the sky already and find a broom for Xailah to use once she’s free of the disgusting beast over there. We can probably defend her from a better angle up there anyway.” Margo couldn’t help but try to picture Ruby’s lips forming her words instead. Not only was she being uncharacteristically logical, but she was attempting to be noble as well. Safe to say she thought Ruby’s seemingly unshakable aura was rubbing off on her.

She leaned towards the girl in question to murmur in her ear. Surely she deserved a small rant after her sacrifice. ”Merlin, and I’m the one persuading them to mount brooms. After this I’ll seriously be considering researching some memory alteration spells... with your help of course.”

She didn’t know if Ruby realised, but Margo was making herself a promise. She would do whatever it took to make sure the both of them made it out unscathed.

Action: Casting Spongify at Mosp #1

Moderation Post

(Ross Dearsley concept art)

@Xailah Alptraum, leaping from her broom to battle the bug, remained undaunted by her burning scratch. She tried to grapple with the thing as her ride drifted away, seizing a stinger in each hand (18>6). This was a first for the vampyr mosp. It flexed and convulsed uselessly, trying to drive those wicked barbs for her face, but to no avail. The bulbous creature instead tried to fly. With each panicked buzz, the light Gryffindor girl would find herself lifted off of her feet little by little, which would prove precarious given their placement at the top of the stands. In an attempt at weakening their tormentor, @Margo White chipped in against the mosp, slapping a tactical Spongify onto its bone-like back (rolled 17). The spell rippled weirdly against the surface. Had it worked...? No time left to tell. Bursting into the light, quickly whipping her wand to the aid of her dear friend, @Meenauh Silmataurea cast a firm Flipendo. Her wisdom of spellwork prevailed (rolled 13), as did her aim upon the grappled mosp, and the shot smacked into its target with a dull thud. This sent both bug and girl flying, toppling together over the railing and out of sight. @Pericles Dralt, who had intended to ride the rickety school broom into the mosp like a battering ram, had an abrupt change of priority. Veering over the railing, he made a perilous plunge towards the ground before swooping up under Xailah, successfully scooping her onto the back of his broom (rolled 25). He unfortunately took the light with him, leaving @Ruby Cazares, Margo, @Breana Oliveire, and Meenauh in darkness. Attention broken, Pericles' Lumos flickered out. The mosp, battered and bleeding, had tumbled through the air before falling free of its captor. It regained itself, summoning the last of its strength and rage to whiz after those on the broom. It narrowly missed Xailah's shoulder as they flew up towards their group in the stands (20<28). The thing droned in her ear as it sped by, then doubled back from up above. Its flying was unstable, stingers plunging with frantic frenzy at the air, proboscis convulsing in pain and anger.

Mosp 1
• Has taken a total of 231 damage and appears to be in a bad way

Despite his attention-grabbing height, @Quinn Healy managed to join the group in the stands without becoming a target of the mosps. He quite literally swept @Nico Shymane off of her feet, and as a few frightened tears escaped her ice-blue eyes, she shouted out urgently for the group to get out of there. @Serena Towers clearly shared her sentiment. She tried to soothe the prefect, simultaneously formulating who could fly with who. Their numbers were short a broom, or they were, until @Elspeth Gollens responded to the call. The Ravenclaw, choosing to brave the ball's obvious dangers and help her peers, approached with three brooms cradled in her arms. For a moment, it seemed that the lot had a clear shot out of the event. Yet evidently, @Saskia Nicholson's Periculum had drawn attention after all. One of those eerie purple mosps had enjoyed its fill of decorative flowers. Proboscis darting in a questioning manner, it hopped out of its flowerpot and trailed behind her borrowed broom, bobbing lazy in spite of the chaos through the stadium. It was approaching the group without a hint of hesitation.

Mosp 2
• Undamaged, and presently passive, but persistently following Saskia

Driven to sustain their frightfully large boot birds, Team Transfiguration was a flurry of action and spells. @Celynne Gray cast a merciful Reparifors at the injured Reeeeeeeah (rolled 27), fully mending its ghastly wound (which had been oozing what looked and smelled suspiciously of shoe polish). @Dmitri Jones, mind divided between the consciousnesses of two birds, wielded his will like puppet strings. With a scream, Screeeeeeelena snapped an intimidatingly sharp beak at the bug, a harsh clack sounding in the air as it missed (7<17). Returned to the full strength of a boot turned into an owl, Reeeeeeeah joined back into the fray, nearly clashing with its companion while claws clutched at unsatisfying nothingness (9<22). The persisting light of Celynne's earlier Lumos Maxima cast wild shadows out across the stands. Narrowly bobbing between their attacks, the vampyr mosp had made a frantic series of dodges before diving at the nearest target: the immobile Dmitri. Its foul body composed of at least ten-percent spite, it finally landed a retaliatory strike, one stinger slicing through the student's sleeve. The damage was not considerable. It left a shallow scratch across his bicep, one which stung and itched, but did not deposit a debilitating degree of venom (42 hitpoints). Heeding Celynne's suggestion, @Cecily Quinn honed her focus. She discarded her fear of striking an ally, quick to help her immobile peer, careful not to act so swiftly in a way which would impair her aim. She made a clean cast (rolled 19) and struck true (11<3). That horrendous buzzing fell suddenly silent. Then, there came a heavy thud as it plummeted, stinger and wings alike immobile. It lay defenseless upon the bleachers.

Mosp 3
• Reeeeeeeah has been returned to full health.
• Dmitri took 42 damage (558/600)
• Mosp is immobilized for 3 rounds

The vampyr mosps may have been mean, nasty, hateful little creatures. But they were still living things, having come here out of instinct as opposed to truly evil intent. Letting compassion compel her, @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood sprinted across the stands to extinguish the burning and immobilized beast. Her jacket was a suitable tool for smothering the flames. The thing itself was barely clinging to life, carapace encrusted with black burns and oozing cracks. Surely some would see this act of mercy as madness, though it yielded the additional bonus of preventing the mosp from serving as a massive lump of kindling in the dry wooden stands. @Alexander Varellion warned the girl against getting stung, and the mosp would certainly try to lash out at anything nearby... after Elena's Immobulus wore off. For now, he had just enough time to tie a rope around it and the coat. This closed its damaged wings against its sides, rendering it blind, but those stingers would still start to twitch and flex when it regained motion. They would need to handle it with utmost care or risk retaliation.

Mosp 4
• Lost 260 HP total, appears to be in a bad way, was successfully extinguished and bound

The impromptu flower rain had been a bizarre misfortune, one which lured a mosp straight on towards @Lamik Fillestar. Having none of that whatsoever, @Elena Jangleton made another decisive cast, her Orchideous causing a fragrant bouquet to burst from the end of her wand (rolled 21). She had correctly calculated the purpose for the mosp's arrival: they were indeed attracted by the aroma of pollen and nectar. What she had perhaps misjudged was the aggression some of the things showed when trying to obtain a snack. The red mosp, dimly perceiving Elena as the smell's source, decided to take out potential threats before chasing its treat. It hummed ominously in the darkness around them, buzzing for her with stingers outstretched. She would feel the wind of its wings breeze against her hair as it whizzed past, missing by inches (8<12). Lamik, despite having surely come up with something clever for his tombstone, was not ready to lie down and accept an insect-induced demise. As the vampyr mosp tried to heckle his friend-date, the Gryffindor made an attempt at smoking the thing out. Smoke poured from his wand and began creeping cross the stands in a thick cloud (rolled 20). They were already standing in darkness. With the cloud quickly consuming all visibility, the mosp- and both students- would be in a roiling blackout.

Mosp 20
• Fumos effects will last 2 rounds, starting next round

First Mosp Attacking Xailah (Behind stands)

Second Mosp Following Saskia (Investigating)

Third Mosp Attacking Dmitri (Immobilized, 3 rounds)

Fourth Mosp Lying on seats (Extinguished, bound)

Twentieth Mosp Attacking Elena (In Fumos range)

(Post 1: lights out) - (Post 2: mosp faq) - (Post 3: first strike) (Post 4: here)

If your character is interacting with a mosp, leaving the Stands is written as an attempt.
Some stats may seem off if your character was previously noted as standing in the dark.
Mosps are numbered by their arrival at the ball as a whole (counting all scenes)
The next mod post will take place in one week on 5/31

Hiding in the stands and screaming for help

Interacting with @Xailah Alptraum, @Pericles Dralt, @Ruby Cazares, @Margo White and @Meenauh Silmataurea

The little girl couldn't help but close her eyes as Pericles continued to have a spat with Xailah. Defending her was one thing, but having an all-out argument is practically giving Breana unconscious guilt just for being there. For one thing, this started just because of her participation in the group. Then there's also the fact that the Gryffindor was right: There were more pressing matters to deal with. Though that would bring up the question of why would she argue with Pericles when she already pointed out the dangerous giant mosps to deal with, but that's beside the point.

Thankfully, the dispute ended as quickly as it started. The emotional pain still had a bit of a sting but Breana tried to shove it down for now. She has people to help, after all. Breana smiled at Pericles's invitation, ready to join him on his broom when he shouted in horror at what he was witnessing. As she whipped her head around to where Pericles was looking at, her eyes widened as she saw the mosp's stinger inject itself unto Xailah already. "Oh my bloody Merlin..." She said in dread. Despite the onslaught of put-downs that she slung towards the girl, Xailah is still a student here in Hogwarts, and seeing a fellow student getting attacking can still be shocking for a kid like Breana.

Before the Ravenclaw could tell Pericles to start flying already, he already was-- without Breana in tow. "Peri--!" But it was too late. He was already flying, albeit in a staggering manner, towards his friend. As much as she was thankful that he kicked his broom to full throttle, it presented a new problem for the group: they have succumbed in the darkness, their source of light gone to save Xailah. Sugarsugarsugar. Breana thought. Her brain was quickly sent on a whirlwind. Thankfully the rest of the brooms are still beside the group, so Breana commanded a loud "UP!" and let a broom zoom towards her hand. Her voice was less sweet than normal. There was a malicious sting to it. Maybe a chance to prove herself? Maybe it was from the conflict earlier? Whatever it was, Breana wasn't having any of it now.

She awkwardly sat on the broom, then looked over at the group. "I--" Breana started. Then Xailah's remarks echoed through the girl's head. Should she even tell them what to do, considering what's happening now? She stared at them for a moment, her eyes locking unto Margo, Ruby, then finally the last addition to the circle, and kicked her broom up to fly. It may be rude, but Xailah was right. Who was she, to tell them what to do? She shook her head, now trying to figure out what to do. Breana saw the Gryffindor protecting Pericles, practically covering him with her body to shield him with the possible doom of the mosp's stinger. Judging from the stings that the girl already got, who know what'll happen if she gets another one? The very thought of that made her stomach drop.

With her mind only thinking of stopping the bug, Breana wasted no time and took out her wand, quickly calling out a "Lumos!" In hopes of getting enough light to see where she's going. Unfortunately, her brain didn't think of waiting for the spell to work. Without thinking ahead, she tilted the broom forward, making it zoom in and target the bug, hoping to have her crash her tiny body against it. It may not be much, but it would hopefully distract the bug from attacking the two. She'd rather have her get into peril rather than have Xailah sacrifice herself to save Pericles. Maybe the poofiness of her ballgown can cushion the stinger, who knows? At least Breana can say that she'd be useful for once.

Action: Casting Lumos and crashing headfirst towards Mosp 1

Action: Casting Diffindo at Mosp #20

Abilities: Advanced Casting