Bypassing Trouble Closed Open

Dialogue: English | Mandarin Thoughts: X

Saturday afternoon, 15th October 2022

Ying got there on time to see one or two of their artistic and original attempts to slid down the curved staircase. When she arrived there a boy with dark curly hair was making his way down the stairs, lying down on his shield, face down. Ying thought that move had been quite bold and fearless, it easily could end up in a not so pleasant way. Well... truth be told, there were few ways that could end up well to everyone present.

Ying gave a small chuckle watching the boy slide while leaving a trail of pink and red glitter down the stairs. Why in hell would he have glitter in his pocket? Was that normal to do something like that at his school? Ying thought curious as she saw the cheerful red-haired girl run after him. Ying cringed when she saw the both of them collapse, "Huff..." she let go in a breath with relief when realizing that they were both alright. The red-haired girl was returning her way up the stairs when she noticed Ying's presence. She greeted her and invited her to grab one of the shields. "Yeah, I want to see how much fun!" Ying replied with a laugh waving back to an older boy that judging by his attire was a Gryffindor like her, "Thanks guys! I can't promise anything tho!" She said cheerfully before turning and heading towards the pile of metal plates.

Ying took hold of one of the shields with careful not wanting to spread them across the floor, that pile didn't seemed to be that balanced. Fortunately she had managed to grab it without any major incident. The shield was heavier then what she was expecting it to be, but still she had been able to hold it with ease. She looked up and down wondering what strategy she would choose to make her own attempt to slide down the stairs. Perhaps it would be wiser to just let go of the idea...but what would be the fun in it? With a smirk she decided that she wouldn't be a coward and change her idea. Maybe for her first try she would just adopt an easier way to make it, without all those stunts that others were making. She then decided to just sit on top of it, gripping its side edges with both hands as tightly as she could. Giving it some balance using her body weight she started her first attempt, "Woaaaaaah!" She let go joyfully feeling the adrenaline starting to rise inside of her mixing with her anxiety and hopes that she would end up unharmed out of there.

Actions: attempt sliding sit on the shield turning twice.

Stats:
Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 0 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 1 | Accuracy: 10
Ability: Evasive Maneuvers

interacting with @Vyacheslav Preobrazhensky, @Amina Petrovic, @Valentin Schnell
all dialogue in russian, unless specified

"Who's going to let you?"

As it always seemed to occur for Johannes, it wasn't the Devil's toes he was stepping on but Sandman's, eternally fuelling the surplus of spite shared between the two. “If we’ve been dancing then at least one of us has two left feet, and it sure as hell ain’t me…” It was a Western standoff every night, dramatic close-ups and grim monologues included.  Personal gripes aside, Johannes deserved very little of Valentin’s infallible support. How good-natured their good seeker was. “I’ll live, Käpitan. Thanks for the offer.” Briefly patting the hand upon his shoulder in appreciation, he sought to shelve the concern with an amiable attitude. It could be something to contemplate further, with a clearer mind, if ever taken up in the first place.

Yet even the withheld exhaustion nipping at his heels could not stifle the joy of their two hyperactive glitter gremlins. “Chip- Buddy, you want to see me fall on my face? Stairs, shoes, me… it doesn’t mix well.” It was as if Slava and Amina shared the same handful of brain cells, juggling indescribable spontaneity and big ol’ puppy dog eyes. Shit, where did his cool guy persona go? (Exactly where it had always been - in his imagination. Don’t think this Author didn’t see you practically melting into that hug for the few seconds it lasted! Get some help, bro.)

Resigned to his fate in taking the two offered shields with appropriate readiness, he stuffed his forgotten wrapper into a random pocket and looked upon the giddy girl with humorous imploration. "Minnie, I'm begging you to share some energy stat." Alas, they were neither powerlines nor space-age sci-fi aliens with the power of seamless energy transmission... It would have been nice (if not somewhat unrealistic) to envision. The kitchen elves most definitely didn’t have energy drinks in stock, did they?

Johannes would be the biggest hypocrite if he became a party pooper and, despite his reluctance, he wasn't totally as opposed as he claimed. Sue him, all of this excitement and energy was contagious. Hell, in any other scenario, he would be the first one down! Encouraged by two of three fellow Durmstrangians to join the fun, the German could do nothing but sigh heavily and mutter under his breath in half-hearted exasperation. “You guys…" A notoriously stubborn boy for all but his friends and the occasional teacher, he could bluster all he'd like… but it seemed that his fate had already been sealed beforehand. This was the danger of peer pressure, the definition of a group’s best role — the enabler and encourager. This was why it was a good thing that he had been Pack-delegated as a guard instead of an advisor, for only bad things would happen if he were left to voice his opinions in a position of authority. 

Setting one shield down back into the pile, he heroically fought the urge to bang his two together like medical cymbals. It would have been immensely funny, even if it would have no doubt alerted anyone in the vicinity of their shenanigans. “Fiiine. I'll try my hand." Well, that was a situation easily won. It was almost as if he had (*gasp*) actually wanted to participate and simply had a reputation to maintain. "Just know that - in the case I fail miserably - I told y'all so beforehand." Or maybe he was a little salty over being convinced into it without an earlier invitation. It was absolutely a combination of both factors.

Absentmindedly tossing his makeshift sled up and down, he got into position with the shield half-hanging off the landing edge. He’d been under the impression that Hogwarts’ suits of armour were enchanted - but maybe only some of them? Maybe it was a decorative choice, based on their suit's current lack of animacy. Or, more likely, even plate armour was in on tricking them all. Regardless of the reasoning, they weren’t getting hunted down for inappropriate use of school property yet. 

He surveyed the impromptu track below him, testing the drop of his shield carefully. The contemplative expression gracing him promised only future mischief at hand, purposefully enforced language barriers be damned. “Say... One of you remind me to bring my board next time, okay?" Wasn't there a spell out there that smoothed out staircases? If not, maybe he was remembering some random chaotic engineering video, months after his technology cutoff.

An experienced delinquent embarking as if at the lip of a skate bowl, perhaps a simpler approach would succeed in making the entire trip down. Perhaps a bit uncharacteristic for this natural show-pony, but he'd gladly invalidate anyone's judgement considering he was running on fumes and vague self-consciousness. With that justification in mind, he kicked off with an aggressive stomp, compensating for the lost velocity from a forgone run.

Action: Crouch-slide, down both turns.

Mod Information

Reducio

Free Actions: Being a tired, yet increasingly extroverted skater kid.

Abilities: Foulplay, Charmer, Evasive Maneuvers, Rapid Reviver, Blindvision
Stats: Sta 10 | Eva 11 | Str 10 | Wis 8 | Arc 8 | Acc 12

Writing as approved Durmstrang iNPC Vyacheslav Preobrazhensky

While others seemed to have trouble successfully carrying out their slide this time, Slava had no problems. He heard Valentin cheering him on and grinned, spurred on by the encouragement as well as the fact that he had just helped persuade Johannes to give in and join despite the other's grumbling protests. He whizzed down the stairs, glitter trailing behind him and Amina running after him, and then he dismounted of his own free will. Slava was reckless and adrenaline-seeking, sure, but he also valued an intact face and not completely wiping out in front of his friends.

But just as he got up, he would find himself almost being leveled with the ground again as Amina crashed into him, a small, loose cloud of glitter freeing itself upon impact. “Mina, darling, are you trying to kill me?” he protested, but he was smiling widely and his arms would wrap around her in turn, releasing her only when she let go. She explained that she was dazzled and he grinned. “Thank you, thank you. I would not have it any other way.”

And then she kissed him. Only a small peck on the cheek, but still a little kiss. He blinked in confusion, a slight blush on his face remaining as she slid her hands into his pockets to grab more glitter. He was lucky she was more focused on the glitter than his face. She requested permission to take it, although it was more of a rhetorical statement than an actual request. “Uh- yes, ok,” he agreed, still bewildered. Recovering slightly, he lifted out one of the pouches, handing it to her. “Here, take one. You must give it back though!” The last part of his sentence was called as she turned and began sprinting up the stairs.

He ran his fingers through his curls. God, that was weird. He had come to expect the unexpected from his chaotic, unpredictable friends, but he was wholly unprepared for this. He should have known, to be fair. Amina was flirty, energetic, and physical, and it was very characteristic of her to pull that. But even though it meant nothing, it still caught him off-guard. They were just friends, but she was also a pretty girl. Pull yourself together, dummy. He refocused on the stairs, looking up them to see where everyone was. One of the people he didn’t know was attempting to start with a flip—that was cool, Slava liked his style—Johannes was readying himself at the top of the stairs, and Slava finally noticed that there was another newcomer, a girl this time. “Welcome!” he called to her, smiling as she began her attempt at joining the shield sliding.

What would he do? He was already much further down the staircase than any of the others, it seemed a shame to go back up without finishing. It would be short, sure, but he figured he’d just continue from here. But, of course, a less impressive distance meant that he must be at least a little showy. He would attempt a backflip onto the board—foolish, considering while he was on a small landing, it was still part of the stairs, but he didn’t much care for logic. If he succeeded at that, he would sit down, leaving him facing backwards. Yeah, he was stupid.

MODERATION ROUND THREE

ONE | TWO

The funny afternoon distraction attracted more and more people. As people who were probably just planning on spectating were volunteered by Slava and Amina to also participate - no way escaping the loud Durmstrangs. A bunch of risky show offs who swiftly adopted the handstand-Gryffindor as one of their own. With his approach he fit right in. His participation alone was probably already enough to make the spark jump to the innocent and clueless first years that walked by. False security. Oh, another older Hogwarts student is doing this too. This must be totally safe. This was a possible thought that might pull in more local students. Although the students falling over each other may have seemed daunting, they all got back up to try their luck again, not ready to give up yet.

Slava (@Ruby Cazares), the only one who had succeeded in the last attempts, was now ready to channel his gymnastic side once more. After he had spread and shared his love, motivation and glitter, Slava saw that all of his friends got ready to surf or fall down the stairs once more. It was time for him to beat the final part. Short, sweet but something to remember. Neglecting his own mental advice to always have secure space to perform artistics he decided to show off and do a backflip on his shield. Quality over quantity!

Reducio

Sliding attempt Slava

Start: Backflipping on his carefully placed shield
(Acc DC: 28): 26 → fail

Fall
auto success (eva maneuvers II): 4 → no auto success
(Eva DC: 13): 16→ success, lands on feet
Catches shield (Eva DC: 15) → success
Gets out of the way for next person with shield in hand (Eva DC:5): 11→ success

And it was something to remember indeed. The boy leaped up in the air and pulled his knees into his chest as he bent his head back over, performing a perfect 360 degree flip. Even his landing was a nine out of ten - precisely balanced and ready to go but one of his legs landed on the stairs instead of the improvised board. His landing was so smooth though that he didn’t bring an impact to the ground - also not forward. So his shield just didn’t move at all. Spectators might think he just wanted to show that he can do this with little space and didn’t mean to slide after all.
Making space for his fellow students, the Durmstrang boy would pick up his shield and move to the wall. He might easily cover up this failed sliding attempt as an artistic intermission.

In the meantime, Valentin (@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood) lived up to his last name and stormed back up the stairs lightning fast, closely followed by Amina. While she stopped at the first turn next to @Lucian Mornstern, the white seeker prepared to repeat his maneuver from earlier.. Again, they would try to perform a combo-trick, initiated by the boy instead of the girl this time.
Valentin started off with a wild run once more, jumping into a bobsled style, knowing that Amina awaited him at the first turn.

Reducio

Sliding attempt Valentin & Amina

Valentin Start: Sprint into bob surfing
auto-hit (Piérre’s calming presence): 7 → no auto hit
(Acc DC: 5): 25 → success

Style: Sitting
auto-hit (Piérre’s calming presence): 8 → no auto hit
(Acc DC: 2): 24 → Success

Turn One (Str DC: 5, Acc DC: : 12&18 → success

Amina Start: jumping on behind Valentin
(Acc DC: 16): 33 → success

Turn Two
Combined Str Valentin & Amina (DC: 18): 42 (nat20 from Amina) → crit. success
Combined Acc Valentin & Amina (DC: 18): 54 → success

Dismount
nat20 from the turn → autosuccess

Apparently both of them had learned from their latest errors. Valentin landed on the stairs at full speed and perfectly balanced. Using his well trained Quidditch reflexes he pulled the shield around the first turn with his firm grip and angled it so Amina had a chance to leap forward and land behind him.
Her impact didn’t throw him off balance and she quickly wrapped her arms and legs around him to squeeze herself into a seating position behind him. Probably she bumped her butt a bit with this reckless landing. Much faster with their combined weight the second turn approached, but they just worked as if they were the same person. Leaning into it to steer the shield the right way, Amina waited until they were near the wall and it looked like they would collide and then kicked it to push them around.
Being with Valentin on the shield had given her an adrenaline boost and made her access new resources of strength that she didn’t have before.
Finally, the first but not last pair arrived at the bottom of the stairs. They both used their legs and combined strength to stop the shield and stopped a few feet away from the stairs, still sitting behind each other.

After his first-turn stair buddy Amina had jumped off to another person, Lucian decided to sit back and watch others collect bruises - learning from the mistakes of others seemed to be the safer approach for now. But this time it looked more like he actually had some successful examples to learn from.

He probably shouldn’t watch @Piérre Marchonné too closely though to not get any funny ideas that might get his neck snapped in the end. The Gryffinor had analyzed his last attempt and identified the landing on the shield as the main challenge, not the crazy stunts. Slava’s experience a few seconds earlier just underlined this assessment. So naturally, he would do another crazy thing. What could possibly go wrong if he already took his board to his feet in the stunt? Nothing! So he decided to frontflip with his shield and land on the stairs back on his shield.

Reducio

Sliding attempt Piérre

Start: Frontflip on shield, holding it to feet in the air
(Acc DC: 5): 22 - 1 (Johannes Charmer) = 21 → success

Style: Standing, hands on hips
(Str DC: 6, Acc DC: 15): 13 & 20 - 1 (Johannes Charmer) → success

Turn One
(Str DC: 9, Acc DC: 20): 21 & 25 → success

Turn Two
(Str DC: 11, Acc DC: 22): 11 & 30 → success

Dismount
(Acc DC: : 21 → success

And indeed, his assessment was right. He could do the artistics moves in his sleep, the shield as a landing space was the new thing. He performed a perfect frontflip which could well rival Slava’s in the other direction. What it lacked in elegance (just in comparison to Slava’s) it made up for with effectiveness.
The boy landed smoothly in his surfing position and even managed to stand up and put his hands on his hips as this didn’t even require balance support from his upper body. Although the sweet sleep deprived boy caught his eye, he would not get distracted.
Using his legs and bodyweight to force the shield around for the turns, Piérre happened to be the second one to make it down the whole staircase. Especially the last turn that seemed to be more challenging he took with remarkable elegance, not struggling to use his arms even once. At the end he jumped off and caught the shield with one hand.

Encouraged by all the laughter and success, the newcomer @Fang Hui-Ying decided to also give it a try. Thankfully she identified the people around her as crazy reckless sports-folks who didn’t know what was healthy for them. So she would do it as any sane person would do it and just sat down on her board, slowly pushing over the edge.

Reducio

Sliding attempt Fang

Start: Sitting down and pushing off → success (no roll needed)

Style: Sitting
auto-hit (Piérre’s calming presence): 10 → auto hit

Turn One
(Str DC: 3, Acc DC: 5): 5 & 29 → success

Turn Two
(Str DC: 5, Acc DC: 7): 9 & 22 → success

Dismount
(Str DC: 3): 6 → success

Reassured by the presence of her older house mate, Fang felt how she was flushed with certainty. If he had managed to do it standing up, it would certainly be no problem to try it sitting down. And like a self-fulfilling prophecy, the safety transferred to her body and she did everything right. Maybe those two should stick with each other. They might learn a lot from each other - probably reason for the one and believing in themself for the other…
The young girl made it down the stairs with minimal strength effort, using her natural elegance and accuracy to angle her shields right in the turns. She really made it look like nothing and performed a nice stop next to Valentin and Amina a few steps away from the stairs. Well, if one tried something not overly risky, it wasn’t so hard after all!

On the Durmstrang side, this reasonable mind, which first dared a test attempt, was definitely represented by Johannes (@Astrea Soleil Neptune). He was not carried away by the desire to outdo each other with show offs.
Although presumably any participation in traffic with his sleep deficit was seriously negligent. So this statement may have to be retracted after all. Encouraged retrospectively forced by his friends, he would take one of the two shields and attempt a snowboard. This was not a slope, but at least it was sloping. Good enough. Also the perfect disguise of his true motivation. Joining in!

Reducio

Sliding attempt Johannes

Start: Standing kickstart
no roll needed → auto success

Style: Crouching
auto-hit (Piérre’s calming presence): 3 → no auto hit
(Acc DC: 2): 25 → success

Turn One
(Str DC: 4, Acc DC: 7): 28 & 23 → success

Turn Two
(Str DC: 6, Acc DC: 9): 16 & 18 → success

Dismount
(Acc DC: 4): 15 → success

With a kick start, he propelled himself over the edge in a very professional manner, crouched down and steered the shield with its low center of gravity effortlessly through the curves.The athletic experience was clearly visible - he actually looked like he was doing this every other weekend.
Right at the first attempt, he balanced the shield perfectly and shifted his weight to bring it around the turns with little force and maximum elegance. He didn’t need to be a show-off to show off after all.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he jumped off his ride and casually kicked it into his hand.

The page had turned. This time everyone made it down except for Slava who had been the only successful one before. Now it would remain to be seen if this success would go to the children's heads.

Summary of this Round

Order of surf attempt

• Slava
• Valentin/Amina
• Piérre
• Fang
• Johannes

Summary of surfing events

• Slava tried to show off an almost succeeded his risky backflip, but failed (landed on feet and caught shield - location: second turn)
• Valentin did another full-speed bobsled and got company at the first turn from Amina. Both made it down to the bottom of the stair and dismounted successfully (stopped sitting on the shield - location: bottom of the stairs)
• Piérre performed a front-flip on this shield and surfed down standing with his hands on the hips, being the cool kid (landed on feet and acquired shield - location: bottom of the stairs)
• Fang tested the waters and successfully slided down sitting on her shield (stopped sitting on the shield - location: bottom of the stairs) yay we have someone reasonable here!
• Johannes utilized his snowboard/skateboard experience and successfully surfed down with a kick-start (landed on feet and acquired shield - location: bottom of the stairs)

MODERATION NOTE

This is a partially moderated thread. Slide attempts will be rolled.Spells or anything else can be rolled by yourself. Here is a short overview over the rules and how to state your action

General moderation rules

• please state your stats and actions in your post
• the first post in the thread counts as an action (entering the thread)
• intentional hurting or sabotaging people in this thread will lead to your exclusion from the event
• you don’t need to slide if you are part of this thread, just have fun!
• if you have any questions, send me an owl or DM me on discord

Sliding actions

• each character can do a slide attempt each round
• please describe how your character approaches the attempt. There are no rules as long as it is physically possible. I can come up with rolls for everything
• It's a three level stairs that is turning against the clock covered with carpet
• Please state in your action the following: 1) Style of sliding (sitting, crouching, standing etc.) 2) if you attempt to do a turn (2 are the max, then the stairs are over) 3) if you want to start your sliding in a special way (e.g. get pushed by a friend, run, just sit down and slide etc.)
• going back up the stairs is a free action
• all abilities that impact others (charmer, calming presence etc.) apply only for the start and surfing style. Nevertheless you can rpg how they impact your character wherever you are in the thread

“Aminaaaaa! Yeahhhh!” shouted Valentin as the pair swooped down the stairs with the success of their combined powers. In fact, Amina’s performance was so stunning [nat 20] that Val’s eyes widened with admiration. He’d known from their first meeting that Amina would be a stellar match for the team, not only for her athletic prowess but also the harmonious fit of her personality… yet, the ability to outperform under pressure was what he only truly demanded of himself. Now, Amina made such a show of their performance that it seemed she’d suggested this activity because she was the unspoken demi-god of shield surfing incarnate.

Was it the inspiration of the queen of the stairwell that bestowed a boon across the land? Everyone followed with their own unique successes, less the glitter goblin who had been the first one to conquer the challenge. Once they dismounted, Valentin scooped Amina up from under her arms and spun around and around as fast as he could to infuse her with the utter joy of his awe.

“You were amazing!!” Putting the redhead down with a grand hug and a glowing smile, Val went on to cheer for the rest of the team and reached out to anyone in range to pull them into a group hug. “Slava! We need glitter fireworks for our team’s grand victory, please!” Naturally, even farther-away Slava would be sucked into the cuddle tornado if he got too close. “You guys are all so great. I can’t believe how lucky I am to know you all.” Ruffling Amina’s hair, Valentin gave her a special grin of appreciation for having come up with the idea in the first place. “Let’s see that kind of mastery again on the quidditch pitch this summer, you guys!”

Valentin turned his eyes to the green-eyed Italian next and smiled with a nod before tipping his head at the younger Hogwarts student who'd joined them.

“Well done, everyone!”

Action: Picking Amina up and spinning super fast then putting her down with a huuuuuuuge hug and a smile, then pulling everyone in the vicinity into a group hug

Stats: STA 8 ✦ EVA 14 ✧ STR 2 ✦ WIS 15 ✧ARC 1 ✦ ACC 15 -
Abilities: Keen Eye ✦ Charmer ✧ Evasive Maneuvers ✦ Fearless

@Lucian Mornstern, Valentin Schnell, Amina Petrovic @Fang Hui-Ying, Vyacheslav Preobrazhensky & Johannes Saur
@Aida Mórsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Ileen Knight, @Ruby Cazarez & @Astrea Soleil Neptune

House Colours: Gryffindor

Calming Presence in Effect

Yeah... maybe trying not to be flashy was much easier than trying to break to break his neck at every turn that he made. Man... he would really have to work on his upper body strength... he certainly was not his brother, but surely he could train his body more so that he could further tap into his acrobatic skill and then one day be able to actually do that trick with ease. Still, it seemed that he was most easily able to use his hips and his foot pressure to ensure that he could keep his balance down the steps the rest of the way, resulting in his being able to take both turns and keep his footing the whole way down. Though his heart was beating rapidly all the time, once he reached the bottom he flicked his ankle up on the backside of the shield to kick it up into his hand as he casually ducked out of the way for the next person to attempt their slide.

Grinning like a madman, Piérre looked back towards the young Gryffindor girl. "Come on down!" He shouted back up at her. "We're all rooting for you! Rah rah sis-boom-bah!" He cheered as he did a little spin with the shield at complete arm extension that twirled it over his head. With a quick burst of energy, he ran up the side of the wall near him and did a little wall-flip before almost losing his balance and having to catch himself up against the same wall with the use of the shield. Eyes still sparkling, he watched as she made her mild-mannered attempt of sitting on the sled-like shield most easily come to her without so much as a waver or a weave and then as she came to a stop near the rest of them. "Hey yeah! I told you you could do it!" He cheered on the little girl with so much enthusiasm that one would have thought that he was a brother trying to encourage their little sibling to slide down the scariest playground slide at the park.

The exhausted gothy-looking boy was last, and Piérre tipped his head as he came down the stairways in a similarly way to the young girl but simply with more exhaustion. Eyes followed him all the way down, breathing slowly but deeply so that he could regulate his rapidly beating heart and return it to its former slow pace wrought solely from an athletic life. He leaned to one side in a way that almost made his head perpendicular with the floor, certainly enough for his hair to be pulled by gravity into an enormous poof that would wreak havoc on his hair and bangs when he righted himself again. "Heyyyyy, you look tired." He spoke before he thought. "You should get more sleep. Do you sleep enough?" He started speaking quickly again. "I know I get low energy when I don't sleep enough usually... sometimes I get way too much energy, though, and then I start bouncing off the walls because I'm sleep-deprived. You should take a nap. You wanna take a nap?" Talk and talk and talk... this was Piérre's way, as it were. Hopefully the older boy would take it politely, or maybe he would find it amusing. Honestly, Piérre was simply in the mood to hear his own voice if nothing else. Rambling was just a nature of his.

And yet, when Valentin started to speak to his classmates in particular, Piérre only sort of stood off to the side and watched the camaraderie without being directly involved in it. They weren't his classmates, after all... they were Romeo's and they knew his brother better than they knew him. Piérre didn't really think that he belonged in his brother's crowd, or at least he didn't really think it was right to try and involve himself with them if they didn't want his presence.

But he couldn't just well enough refuse an excuse to join in a cuddle pile. "Make room for a hyperactive Italian!" With a broad smile after Valentin had made eye contact with him, Piérre swooped down on them like a Swooping Evil and hugged as many of them as he could as well, particularly trying to cover Valentin in the bulk of his embrace. Jumping a little bit with the force of his excitement, the boy stuck his face between the shoulders of two of the people involved in the group hug, pretending that he was one of them, or at least that he did belong with the Durmstrang Gang. What was it like, he wondered, for Romeo to be around them? "I'll be the Romeo stand-in, okey? You gotta tell me how he acts around you guys if Imma be a good imitation." He teased with a smile. Certainly Piérre enjoyed their energy and their desire for mischief, but he was curious of how his brother dealt with them on a daily basis. They seemed of such a radically different energy, and yet they all proved their mettle at their game last year against Ravenclaw in the form of a crushing win.

There were certainly curious mysteries about this group of people, but the most curious one of them all to Piérre was the albino Valentin. It was he that Piérre wanted to try and pick the mind of the most, to try and unravel the best. If he found excuses for it, he could discover more and more for the sake of his brother. In this way, he had to find excuses to get closer and closer to Valentin so that he could learn more about the kid and his relationship with his brother so that he could somehow find a way to tweak it just enough to benefit his twin. After all, Romeo was what meant the most to him, more than any other alliance or ally. Blood came first, and in this sense the boy was going to do anything in his power to ensure that the happiness of his brother came first and foremost. Even in the midst of the group hug, the boy's mind was turning. He was planning, thinking...

A most marvelous plan was starting to come to him. Oh... this would be the plan to outstrip all plans.

And he had the means to make it work. He just needed time and information... and a little bit of trickery to boot.

That had never done anyone any harm, surely.

Unless there is further Competition/Action, Piérre will Exit thread

"Make room for a hyperactive Italian!" shouted Piérre, swooping in for a group hug. Valentin’s Tatar eyes widened with surprised pleasure as he took on the bulk of the embrace. Piérre had never been “just Romeo’s brother” to the captain, as Val’s fundamental lifestyle was understanding and appreciating people on their own terms. With the physical distance between the Britalian and the white seeker of Durmstrang, though, Valentin learned more about Piérre through Romeo’s stories than in their fleeting interactions on Hogwarts grounds or in London. Had the jester even realized Val was there during his summer duelling match, cheering him on? At the campfire last year, Piérre’s story had been Val’s favorite and it was not simply family ties that compelled Valentin to shower him with as many chocolate frogs as he could stomach. Yet, for all the natural affection Val felt for the puckish boy, he couldn’t deny the tension he felt at the Faerietale ball in trying to understand the slapping glove incident, nor the difficulty of sharing Romeo’s attention between them. Valentin hadn’t been sure what role he could play in Piérre’s life and so tried to respect whatever personal space the smaller twin wanted for himself. Now with the brunette’s eyes shining as he tried to join the group, Valentin couldn’t have been more overjoyed. If there were unspoken wounds of jealousy, perhaps they could heal over now. Wriggling out of the group to give Piérre a proper, dedicated hug, Valentin picked up the shorter boy and moved to the side where he could spin the tumbler around and around with a joyous laugh.

“Piérrrrre!!” chimed the white seeker in melodic tones, eventually putting him back down with an enthusiastic squeeze.

"I'll be the Romeo stand-in, okey? You gotta tell me how he acts around you guys if Imma be a good imitation."

Chuckling, Valentin rubbed his hands together in anticipation. This new game sounded amazing.

“Okay, but you’ve got to show us how he acts around you in private, too. I’m sure we can both learn from each other!” Scuttling over to a pedestal where a knight stood, Valentin put his undamaged shield back where it belonged and sat down on a stone ledge. Miming having a little notebook in his lap, Valentin pretended to hold a quill as he looked up at the sky thoughtfully. With his other hand he began moving imaginary food from a side plate to his mouth, over and over and over. Glancing up with furrowed brows as if to check on the team, “Romeo” dipped his head back down to scribble furiously into his notebook with eyes squeezing as if a headache were beginning to afflict him, even as he continued shoveling food into his mouth regardless. Then, glancing up again, “Romeo” grimaced and put away his writing materials to stand up.

“Show me your best plank,” imitated Val, dropping his larynx to get a low, rumbly tone and lining his words with a surprisingly believable Italian accent. Frowning with a look of exhaustion, he stamped his feet up to Piérre. “Drop that tush. Body straight. Get off your knees. KNEES OFF THE GROUND! If I can do it, you can too! Do you WANT Hogwarts to beat us?! God damn!” Valentin chuckled, unable to hold in his adoration anymore, and crossed his arms in a tight self-hug to vanish the ache in his chest. “Heavens above,” sighed Val, returning to his natural voice and letting his eyelids half close. “Every moment with your brother is a treasure.” Looking back up into the jester’s emerald eyes, Valentin gave him a soft smile. “Let’s both look after him, okay?”

Others in the team might have recognized the severity of “Romeo’s” remarks, but any of them might have also been surprised if they hadn’t attended one of the team’s boot camps before. Certainly Johannes had survived it and had a shiny new broom to show for it. For as realistic as Valentin tried to make his depiction, hoping to honor Romeo’s true nature while still embellishing it with comical grace, any fool could have seen the devotion pouring from Valentin’s amethyst gaze.

Unless there is further action, Val exits the thread with Piérre and others

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english | russian

As Amina got ready to jump on behind Valentin as soon as he made it to her turn, she had time to admire the acrobatic dance off between Piérre and Slava. Her Durmstrang friend went first. She didn’t see that he had intended to slide down the stairs and just cheered down to him in excitement. "Stop being so cool, I can’t keep up with that you little glitter bomb!" With a wide grin she raised her hands full of her prey that he had allowed her to take. The beam on her face that quite rivaled the glitter deepend even more as she looked to the curly-haired boy and then back up the stairs to her other comrades.
Finally, Johannes was also joining - her heart beat faster with joy.

Amina had a lot of passion for funny and silly things, especially when her loved ones and new friends participated. She felt like she had never been so happy. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes sparkled as she watched the fast movements of the viewfinder. Oh right, she wanted to be there. Concentration!
Perfectly aligned from days and days of flying together she knew exactly when he would do what and vice versa.
"Wheeeeeeee!!!" Although she hit her booty hard by landing behind her beloved captain and friend, she had the time of her life. Her arms and legs were closely wrapped around the toned body of her dear friends. Happily, she squeezed him in a loving embrace and buried her face in his shirt. His familiar and calming scent of stargazer lilies and agarwood incense rose to her nose and Amina giggled with exuberant delight as she kicked her foot against the wall to give them a little extra push around the bend. She would even try to execute a fist bump with Slava, if he was willing, as they whizzed past him.

When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she and Valentin put their feet on the ground, breaking and stopping their wild ride. "This was awesome! We made it" Her joy at all the creative and funny incidents was only exceeded when Valentin lifted her up and quickly swung her around in a circle with a big squeeze. With a yelp she threw her head back. "That was teamwork. Super preparation, excellent handling. I highly recommend you as a driver!"
As soon as he set her down on the floor he also ruffled her hair. Amina closed her eyes laughing and clearly enjoyed it like a happy kitty. Then she joined in the shouts of delight from the boy next to her and clapped her hands wildly as the Gryffindor girl and her dearest Johannes also made it down the stairs. And that at the first try!
"First try you showoffs!" Was her according welcome and a beam would meet them that would quickly shift into a straddle and then a laugh as Val pulled them all in the group hug. The young Italian also joined and stated that he was a Romeo stand-in. Her green eyes widened as she suddenly realized something and she almost choked on her laugh.
"Oh my god. You. YOU. YOu are his brother!" The late realization must seem funny for others - he was her co-captain after all. She just had been distracted. WIth a teasing laugh she stuck out his tongue at him. "Believe me, you are better off with me pretending you are just you." She obviously was joking and chuckled. Aw, her obstacle friend was brother with mister serious.

However - being stuck in the group huddle she would look for Slava and grin at him. her smile became a tad mischievous. "You wanted me to return the glitter, right? Here you go!" And with that she would open her hands over the group and just unload the whole load of glitter over all of their heads. This was her dream world.

Now that everyone had beaten the stairs the group seemed to become a bit lazy except for the funny Romeo and Valentin who started to joke with each other. The girl was full of adrenaline and not willing to stand down there.
"Come on guys, race back up? Johannes, Slava - you”" She would order her other two friends and the first year before sprinting up the stairs, her shield under her arm.
Arriving at the top she would wait for Slava. If he did follow or even beat her on the way back, she would poke him teasingly into the side. "Stacking clearly works. Maybe also vertically? What do you think? I could climb on your shoulders!"

Interacting | Valentin @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Lucian Mornstern | Slava (@Ruby Cazares | @Pièrre Marchonné | Johannes (@Astrea Soleil Neptune) | @Fang Hui-Ying

Actions | Sliding attempt (style: Sitting on Slava’s shoulders, turn: as many as Slava wants, start: whatever Slava chooses)

Ability | Muggle Condition | Fearless | Foulplay | Lovely Creature

Allies for LC | noone ~ everyone may admire her You can decide from an RP perspective how much the ability affects you

Stats | Sta:9 | Ev:15 | Str:7 | Wis:7 | Arc:2 | Acc:15

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Writing as approved Durmstrang iNPC Vyacheslav Preobrazhensky Interacting with: Amina Petrovic @Ileen Knight, Valentin Schnell @Aida Mórsgor-Ama Ellwood, and @Piérre Marchonné Mentions: Johannes Sauer @Astrea Soleil Neptune, and @Fang Hui-Ying Open to interactions?: Yes

Slava would quickly realize the backflip hadn’t been such a good idea. Luckily, no cruel fate befell him, he simply just didn’t manage to hop onto the shield properly. That was fine. He wouldn’t lie to himself—he had certainly felt a flash of fear when one of his feet landed on the shield and the other on the stairs, but fate would be on his side and his balance remained intact, leaving him standing there in one piece. Still, that had been a little too close for comfort. Maybe that’s enough acrobatics for today. Nevertheless, he still earned a “Stop being so cool, I can’t keep up with that you little glitter bomb!” from Amina, which made him beam, practically glowing with pride as he bowed playfully.

While he was fooling around, though, everyone else made it to the bottom of the stairs. Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned here? Nahhhh. He would continue to be his flamboyant, showy self, even if it wasn’t always convenient. It was just who he was. And if his overconfidence made him look foolish? Well, he didn’t have much of a reputation to uphold anyway. He lived for the thrill of life, the fun stuff, the messing around, not wasting time on being serious and stressing about what people thought. If they liked him, they liked him, and if they didn’t, they didn’t. No big deal. And his friends would love him regardless of if he faceplanted on some stairs or made it down them first try.

He watched the awesome duo of Amina and Valentin make it down the stairs together and cheered, continuing to celebrate people’s victories as the Hogwarts students made it down, followed by Johannes—who looked cool as always as he did so. Valentin was celebrating and called to Slava for glitter fireworks. “Not fireworks but this will have to be okay!” he commented lightly as he flung glitter everywhere while running down the stairs. He would join the group hug when he reached them with a final burst of glitter. His white-haired friend voiced his appreciation for everyone and Slava grinned. “Awwww, you too, Valya.” He stretched to give the boy an appreciative pat on the back.

Meanwhile, the Hogwarts boy had been talking Johannes’s ear off and Slava chuckled, being reminded strongly of himself. Poor Johannes. He seemed to be a magnet for energetic, talkative, bright-eyed nuisances (affectionately). Ah well. At least he was used to it from being around Slava. It didn’t take long before he instructed people to make room and joined in on the hug, inserting himself into the group with ease. Slava offered him a smile. The boy, who Valentin finally referred to as Piérre, then proceeded to proclaim that he would be a Romeo stand-in, which confused Slava initially. How did he know Romeo? Why would he need to take his spot? And then it clicked. The fact that he had mentioned being Italian, the fact that he seemed to know Valentin well—an obvious clue, considering how much Valentin and Romeo were around each other—and the manner in which he had said he would be a stand-in for Romeo all pointed in one direction.

“Oh my god. You. YOU. You are his brother!” It seemed it took Amina just as long to come to the conclusion, with her taking the words right out of his mouth. He idly wondered why the two attended different schools, if they were brothers, but such intrusive curiosity couldn’t hold his attention for long. Besides, sometimes family things were complicated. Slava wasn’t blood-related to his own brother, even though Maksim was legally his brother and they shared the bond of siblings. It was all Slava had ever known, and he couldn’t really judge Romeo and Piérre for a slightly unconventional family situation because of it. Not that he really would to begin with—he wasn’t a judgmental person.

His attention was tugged away by Amina, who was wearing a mischievous grin as she eyed him. Uh oh. This could either be very good for him or very bad, and he wasn’t sure which one. “You wanted me to return the glitter, right? Here you go!” It took half a second for Slava to process what was being said. Oh no. Ohhhh no. But by the time he desperately tried to take a step back, it was too late. He was doomed to a glittery fate the likes of which hadn’t been seen before. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic. The glitter poured over him and the others, and between his own work and Amina’s onslaught, he was beginning to be completely coated. He laughed merrily as he brushed it off of his face. “Well, Mina, you got me.” A broad smile was on his face as he raised a hand for a high five. “I am going to need that bag back eventually though,” he said lightheartedly, referring to the glitter pouch he had let her borrow.

It seemed Amina was as restless as himself, always ready to go go go and hesitant to stay still, as she initiated a race up the stairs. She certainly wouldn’t have to tell him twice. He practically jumped up the stairs, taking two at a time, propelled by the invisible force that was his unbeatable energy. He made it there at about the same time as Amina, if not slightly before, and was promptly poked in the side. Her proposal was one he could not refuse, the lesson about sensibility over showiness that experience had taught him a few moments before quickly forgotten in the wake of her request. He bent down, much lower to the ground as he positioned the shield and then instructed, “Get on.” If she did, he would rise to his full height, careful to keep his practiced balance as he did so and got on the shield, one foot ready to push off. “Do not fall.” A warning to the girl, as if she really had control over that. Well, here goes.

Actions: Style: Standing with Amina on his shoulders, 2 turns, start: normal/kicking off

Statistics: STA 8 | EVA 9 | STR 13 | WIS 6 | ARC 5 | ACC 18
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers I & II, Broken Broomshaft, Charmer, Paragon of Health
Allies: Everyone, no opponents