Out Of Range S.W.A.G Closed

Katrina woke to the day tired. A very grumpy house elf held a letter. He wacked her across the face and the Gryffindor bolted upright. Boomerang, her kitten, was sound asleep on her stomach, but startled-ly woke up from the harassment. He menacingly growled and stalked off the bed and down the hall. Katrina's eyes returned to the elf-like creature, but he was gone. A rolled up parchment sat on the side of her bed. The image of his face was ingrained in Katrina's head and she couldn't help but reach from her sketchbook. The 12-year-old flipped thorough her magnificent sketches until she found the one she was looking for. A sketch of a house elf she had briefly seen a few weeks back stared back from the notebook page. The lioness grabbed a pencil and added some details to its face. Turning the timid creature into the grumpy one that she had woken up to.
Later that day, Katrina returned to the Whomping Willow. The last S.W.A.G. Team game had resulted in a win for her team. It took her a while to cast a spell, but she had been able to greatly aid her team. A small part of her was terrified, but the other was excited. She really wanted to do better this time. She had secretly been reading more books and listening to tips from the older kids since the event. She wanted to be better prepared this time.
Katrina approached the Willow with confidence. She took a breath before nearing anyone and tucked her strand of teal-died hair behind her ear. She gripped her wand tightly in one hand and reached for her satchel, that wasn’t there. School robes clothed her body and a red and gold lion scarf adorned her neck. Her hair was pulled back in a simple braid besides two strands of hair on either side, one of which was teal.
The lioness found that no one had arrived yet. She stood a short distance from the leader—Aurelia?—and pulled out her sketchbook from a large pocket in her inner robes. She drew a pencil out from the page and began to draw. She added more details to the house elf and became intensely focused.
Every once and a while, she would look up, hoping to talk to someone before the game began. If she were not approached, she would continue to draw; if anyone talked to her, she would smile and introduce herself (unless they had already met).

Open to Interactions

@Aurelia Notrésvace, notices @Katrina Walker

Personally, Piérre was enjoying one of his first nights of actual sleep. Between fretting about the events that were taking place in and around the school and the misfortune that he somehow kept getting himself into, Piérre had been suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and slight insomnia. This led to dark eyes that were beginning to look almost like a raccoon's.

So when Piérre felt the firm, if a little harsh, hand slapping him awake, Piérre woke with a jump and a yelp, rubbing his eyes as Eaux relayed her message. Figaro was nearby, the now couple month old kitten having regained his footing and was in the pouncing stage. Just as Piérre was about to utter a 'thank you', Figaro jumped at the odd little humanoid, and Eaux snapped her fingers, causing the silver Bengal to instead leap directly into his brother's arms.

Reducio

Rolled a d4 to Determine House Colour for the Day:
1- Hufflepuff
2- Ravenclaw
3- Gryffindor
4- Slytherin

Number Rolled: 3
Gryffindor

Piérre laughed at Figaro goodheartedly as the kitten continued to purr. After getting ready to go, Piérre reminded Figaro to stay put and then marched out of the commons, dressed in something that looked oddly akin to his Quidditch robes... But not quite! This time, the golden 13 was emblazoned on his wide collar as opposed to on his back. Much more discreet.

Jogging out to the playing field, Piérre looked around. There was Aurelia, the master of all these events and Kat. Uses 'Keen Eye' to spot Xailah?

Still a small group, but one that surely had to grow. Piérre glanced fleetingly in Kat's direction and suddenly felt his arms beginning to tense. It certainly wasn't in fury or agitation, and it was so small that not even a tic could be seen. It was a reaction of uncertainty and slight worry. Hardly two months ago, the two children had fallen into ice and had a face to face tea party with Hypothermia and Death. Piérre never wanted to admit that he could have died on that day because of his inability and fear of swimming, but it was certainly a fear which came to mind.

A wave and a smile would meet Kat, glittering, carefree eyes testament to that of the trickster. Self-doubt and worry certainly reverberated within the chest of the Britalian, but between pride and what remained of self-confidence, Piérre managed to pull himself into a comforting rhythm, rocking on his feet forwards and back, humming as he watched the hill for newcomers.

Hangin' Around

Open to Interactions

To say that Thora wasn't at all surprised when she was awoken with a smack to the face and a weirdly pale face would be a lie. When one had had a good night's sleep and was used to green-tinged light filtering through the windows, it was honestly quite a scare. Though it was the third, not first, time a parchment had been delivered straight to her bed, never had she been simply whacked across the face with it. With a closer (although bleary-eyed) glance at the house elf who had been the unfortunate messenger, it was clear that it was not having a good day. Well, it was welcome to leave, instead of staring at a sleeping form for who knew how long.

Slender fingers picked up the parchment and it was read in the matter of seconds. Another game? This would no doubt be interesting. Last time had certainly been eventful, and though she hadn't been on the winning team, she'd found herself having fun--well, until people decided to start attacking each other, of course. And so, the girl who had joined the club mostly on a whim and had approached the first game nervous now dared to be excited.

Two minutes to dusk. A lone figure, brown hair pulled into two French braids and in a hoodie, once again, could be seen making her way across the grounds. Unlike some, Thora was perfectly fine being alone. In fact, with the exception of a few, she felt almost safer without hordes of strangers around. She obviously wouldn't at all be alone for the S.W.A.G. Club game, but there was also the aspect of close community that the introverted girl had come to enjoy.

A few people would already be standing near the Whomping Willow or in its vicinity, no doubt waiting for the game to commence. Other than someone who, from a distance, looked like Katrina (except Thora had no idea when she'd dyed her hair), and Aurelia, who she'd seen just the previous day, Thora didn't recognize anyone. Her heart sank a bit, but a small smile remained on her face. Life was always better with friends, and although she never expected all--or any--of them to come, it would be nice if she wasn't alone.

Fingering the aspen wand she was already holding in her right hand, Thora would offer Aurelia a wave with the other. As she stood off to the side, green eyes surveyed her competition. Chances were that she would be up against some, if not all, of these people, and she wasn't about to underestimate anyone. The adrenaline rush that had carried her through the day began to ebb, leaving a bit of fear in her excitement. What if, like last time, her spell didn't work? What if it backfired? But in the end, she could only hope that it would go well.

«Waiting for the game to commence»

Mentions @Thora Larkston and @Katrina Walker

Being smacked in the face with a roll of parchment was not the best way to wake up. Bridget had been enjoying a sleep that was, for once, not riddled with spider-filled nightmares. As soon as the paper made contact with her face, however, she shot bolt upright in bed as quickly as she would have if she'd been escaping a bad dream. Hazel eyes darting around, the small girl's mind filled with scary possibilities. She didn't think her imagination had ever been this overactive. However, she gaze landed on something noticeably devoid of the eight legs she so feared; rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Bridget realized the thing in front of her was a very disgruntled-looking house elf.

Heart still hammering, Bridget noticed the paper he'd used to smack her with. "...For me?" she asked. The elf never answered the question, disappearing with a snap of his fingers, but considering he left the parchment behind, Bridget supposed that was a yes. Unfurling the note, Bridget quickly read it. An invitation to a S.W.A.G. game. Today. While Bridget dressed, she debated whether or not she would go. It was routine for the notice to show up the morning of, but she found herself wishing it came earlier so she had more time to prepare.

Throughout the rest of the day, she talked herself in and out of going. A quarter to six, Bridget found herself sitting up against a tree on the grounds, wand clutched in hand, still undecided. In the end, the prospect of spell practice won out. The opportunity to use the magic she learned was always appreciated, after all, and after getting bitten by that spider, what was getting hit by a few spells in comparison?

Arms folded and somehow sweating even though she was fairly cold, Bridget joined the members starting to congregate inside the circle of rocks. The Slytherin took the briefest of seconds to note her competition, and offered a fleeting smile in the directions of Thora and Katrina, before becoming incredibly interested in her sneakers. The sooner the match started, the better.

You could basically measure the year in SWAG games. For this, Ruthie was very grateful as it gave her something to focus on besides the tragic events that seemed to have marked her first year somewhat spectacularly. Despite this, she still didn't particularly appreciate being woken up by a grumpy house elf. Ruthie was used to early morning starts at home and Quidditch practice was always a reminder of what the morning looked like, but neither of these things were quite as acutely jarring as SWAG mornings. Perhaps that was just Aurelia's way of communicating, but Ru didn't really mind. She'd take it for the matches.

Ruthie went through the day looking forward to the match Aurelia had dreamed up. She did stop by the Common Room to change before meeting them all outside. She wore a set of black leggings and an oversized white knit sweater along with her blue beanie. This was a pretty standard look for her and those who knew her would be easily able to pick her out.

When she arrived, she was glad to see several SWAG members were already in attendance. She recognized Katrina who she helped plant trees as part of an errand and Bridget, with whom she had an awkward encounter or two. Really though, Bridget seemed a decent person even if they may have gotten off on the wrong foot. She smiled and waved at River, their Reserve Seeker, who was a skilled flyer and Ru wished to get to know her a bit better. Also there was a fellow prefect, the one with the weird clothes and glasses. But her greatest connection was with Thora, the Slytherin who'd saved her friends lives at the Ball. Moving her black trainers across the grass, she snuck over to Thora and gave her a quick hug before falling in line to listen to Aurelia's instructions. It was time to see what they'd be up to today.

Interacting with @Thora Larkston | Open to Interactions

Calming Presence
not disliking anyone, everyone participating is considered an alley for now

Alan was an early riser, so he had already sat up in his bed, when with the sound of snapping fingers a house elf arrived in his dorms. He would shush the house elf that claimed having a message from the employer; or the daughter of the people who employed the house elf. He was concerned that the house elf's agitated voice might have woken up someone else in his dorm, but he could merely hear the student in the four poster bed next to his grunt slightly, before twisting and continuing the slumber. But as soon as she was there, she disappeared again and Alan shook his head, groaning tiredly; it was not the time for this yet. Ah, the letter!, he thought and quickly took the note, unrolling the scroll of parchment. In it he found the invitation to another game and he could not help but think 'finally'. It has been about over a month since the last game, which had turned out to be more eventful than he could have expected at first. He really hoped that this game would end up on a happier note as he got up and dressed. Well it was not like he had to worry about that yet anyway; he still had a whole day ahead of himself!

Around early noon, Alan left the castle wearing some light clothes that would allow for good movement. Casual black pants and a white shirt with sleeves reaching just above his elbows. For now he was wearing a light jacket above them, since it still was not quite warm yet, especially in the evening. From afar he could already see a group that assembled, making him smile in excitement as he got closer to the group of students. A few familiar faces from the last game came into view, once he reached them, but none of which he had actually interacted with much. He did not know the name of any of them, except for the girl that was wearing a knit sweater and black leggings. Well that was something, wasn't it? He stepped towards the girl, "R-Ruthie, right? A-any idea wh-what game we will be p-playing?", he asked the girl, a bit nervous about approaching the girl. He hoped that she was feeling better now, remembering that something must have affected her in some way during the last game.

arrives
interacts with @Ruthie Greer

Interacting with @Xailah Alptraum and @Piérre Marchonné, open to all interactions

"From Lady Notresvace."

The pat-pat of parchment stirred Pericles from a deep dream, a whimsical phantasm he was forgetting as surprise took over. Blindly trying to protect his face, he managed to mumble a bleary "Wot?" while squinting up at the elf, steadily becoming more alarmed as he returned to reality. One hand groped for glasses on his nightstand as the other accepted the scroll. Although he hardly understood what was happening just yet, the young noble automatically uttered a polite "Thanks...." Scrubbing sleep from his eyes, Peri pushed his glasses into place and began to read. The contents quickly jolted him awake. He had been eager to participate in S.W.A.G. ever since receiving his invitation, but had cautiously chosen to sit out on a few games before he had at least a couple offensive spells under his belt. He was nowhere near as proficient as he wanted to be, but then, this was a chance to practice magics. What better way to better one's self than by taking on a tall challenge?

For once, the boy wasn't wearing a scrap of school uniform. He had no tie, no House colors, no nicely shined shoes. He arrived wearing attire one would expect for equestrianism, save the crop had been replaced by a wand. It was a good outfit for being tossed from a horse, or in this instance, being thrown by a spell. Only one particular accessory seemed especially out of place. "Xialah?" Upon approaching the group, the Ravenclaw gravitated instantly to the most recognizable face in the batch, a fellow oddball like himself. His freckled features lit with a wide smile as he made to join the metamorph. "Look at what my father sent me!" They were, of all things, a pair of standard Quidditch goggles. He held them up from around his neck, "The lens has my prescription. That way, I won't have to worry about my glasses getting broken or falling off while we play." The lad casually carried on in the distractable way a child does, albeit far more talkative than his personal norm, I'm glad to see you here. And Schrödinger!" His tone was especially chummy for the feline pretending to be a scarf. "You'll be our audience, won't you?" Looking about, he waved a hand and sent a smile across the way at Piérre, one of the only other faces he could put a name to.