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One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed

@Rosalind Kibitzer
After the great peptalk she had with Professor Kibitzer (and dare she say, some bonding?), the dhampir was determined to work on herself. To better herself. To become someone new. To be that person she dreamt of being. Nothing would stop her. Not anymore. She was an animal!

Not quite yet. But one day, she would be able to tackle any obstacle. But first, physical ones. Receiving an owl of her Head of House, kind of came as a surprise. Maybe the Professors talked? Maybe they figured this event would do her good to become more confident and to let her become the Prefect she aspired to be. Either way, Nico had been put in a team, made out of randomly selected students. The note said she'd be joined by @Dmitri Jones, a third year student she once met at the Great Lake (he was kind of a pushover but they were on good terms), and @Aaron Jones, a Hufflepuff student. Nico didn't know the name but... she was usually always up for meeting someone new. Who knew, maybe this person could become another addition to her group of friends.

After checking some sporty books in the Library, as the Divination Professor had advised her to rely on books more, the dhampir was busy trying to stretch. Her thighs and her calves. Important! Don't want your legs to feel painfully sore after using muscles you never really... used before. Nico also made sure she had the perfect attire for this activity. Her long, strawberry red hair was tied up in a high ponytail, a dark blue headband keeping any hairs that would slip out of the tight grip from dangling in front of her eyes. A light blue shirt with a pink shark print and some matching pink fitting kneehigh shorts. Her father was excited when she owled him about wanting to become more physically active.

Honestly, running around in this castle was already challenging enough but.. ACTUALLY dedicating yourself to become more fit, her dad loved that. The small amount of PA she got at Muggle school wasn't enough to keep her in shape. (But then again, they were kids. Pretty much active all the time). Either way, her father had sent her some nice sea themed kicks, ready to give her the best running experience. There were three obstacles and Nico had already called dibs on doing the hurdle.

She knew she wasn't the strongest but she didn't need to be. As Professor Kibitzer said, be smart. And that's exactly what she was going to do. Needless to say, the dhampir felt kinda nervous, seeing that both her Head of House and the Divination Professor were overseeing this errand. They were both rolemodels to Nico. People she aspired to be like. Beautiful and elegant, strong and confident...

Slightly blushing but keeping a confident look on her face, she nodded at both the Professors. 'Goodmorning!' Determined, Nico was sure to not dissapoint or put them both to shame. All she could do for now was wait for her teammates to show up.
Wordcount : 516/1000
You're gonna need a bigger boat
One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed
Today was a new day. A day to get out of the castle and a day to get some fresh air. It was absolutely not a day to dwell on the disastrous event he had been a part of. Today, that would be the last thing on his mind.

Aaron Jones had been invited told to join some other students down at the Training Pitch for a relay race. He had expressed interest in the relay errand when he first heard about it, but he hadn't even had time to look for partners before they had been magically assigned to him. @Nico Shymane and @Dmitri Jones. A Slytherin Quidditch player and a boy whom he had no clue about (although the shared last name did not escape his notice).

When the time detailed in the letter rolled around, Aaron put on his workout clothes (gray sweatpants, white t-shirt, black trainers) and hurried down to the Training Pitch. He was trying to be better about time management, and it was definitely paying off. Although it did not seem he was the first to arrive, he definitely wasn't the last. Nico was there, recognizable by the bright red hair which he had seen during Quidditch games before. He knew the names and faces of most Quidditch players here at Hogwarts - the exceptions usually being second-string and waitlisted players.

"Hi, you're Nico, right? I'm Aaron," he introduced, offering a bright smile. This was his first time interacting with the girl, and he noticed a few things from up close. One, she was rather pale for a non-Asian girl. Two, she was extremely pretty. This redhead reminded him vaguely of his best friend Lydia. Her beauty was almost unnatural, but he attributed it to being in a magical world. Maybe some girls were just born super pretty because they had a lot of magic running through them. Nico must be one of them. Referencing Nico's lovely creature ability and Lydia's part-Veela heritage.

"You figure out which one you want to do?" he asked, turning his eyes away from hers to look at the relay course. It was only then that he noticed the professors watching over them. He immediately turned his eyes away from them. He had a hard time making eye contact with authority figures since the ball. "I think I'll tackle the climbing net," Aaron said, turning his dark brown eyes back on Nico. "Unless you want it, of course," he quickly added, recognizing the rules of "first come, first serve."

Aaron really wanted to do the climbing net, though. It seemed like the toughest of the three obstacles, because it needed arm and leg muscles. Well, maybe the hurdles would've been the most difficult for him since he couldn't exactly say he was a big jumper. He didn't think jumping was a skill he would need in Quidditch, though. Not like arm and leg strength, which were required to control a broom and tackle the climbing net.

Aaron was no stranger to physical exertion. He spent years in Taekwondo and had even done a little track back at his muggle school. The boy had a solid set of muscles building under his twelve-year-old physique. Exercises like this relay really brought him joy - something not a lot of people understood of a child. The real appeal for Aaron was that exercise meant he would become better at Quidditch - his current (and hopefully forever) obsession.
Word Count: 563/1000
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed
Interacting with @Nico Shymane and @Aaron Jones | Mentioning @Rosalind Kibitzer and @Hjørdis Jensen
Dmitri knew Hjordis Jensen was out to get him.

The boy hasn't even done anything to the woman... except... maybe... indirectly insulting her by pointing out how her hair made her look old. But that was one time! Which was fair, mind you! Anyone with half a brain would also connect the hair color to signs of aging. Now, not only did the dastardly woman owl him for an errand--some inane physical, menial labor called a relay race--but also paired him with people he barely knew and would probably--most likely--dislike. I don't deserve this kind of treatment, Dmitri thought to himself darkly as he fumbled to pull the short jersey shorts he was wearing over his pale, scrawny legs, on his way to the Quidditch Pitch. The boy wasn't one to opt for any physical exertion at all, so these shorts have been laying at the bottom of his trunk for all of the three years he has been at this school.

The Slytherin dreaded what he would encounter on the lush green lawn of the Pitch. He wasn't sure exactly how vindictive his Head of House could be and whether she still held a slight animosity over his careless written comment, so his mind was heading toward thoughts of an elaborate sabotage orchestrated by the grey-haired woman. Just for him. It didn't help that she was literally co-spearheading this event with Rosalind Kibitzer, the ancient woman Dmitri compared Professor Jensen to in his little letter.

He fully understood why his Head of House would be insulted by being compared to the older woman, though. She was all but a hundred years old--and looked like it, too.

Dmitri was afraid Miss Jensen divulged the contents of said letter to the Divination Professor and that this was just a scheme to embarrass the Slytherin boy before being expelled for dissing a person of authority. So his paranoid, hesitant mood entering the Pitch was understandable.

Speak of the devils, both women were standing off to one side holding a few implements and tools Dmitri assumed were for timing the teams. They were watching--with amused expressions--a few students who were blundering through the obstacles laid out on the grass. There were hurdles, a monkey bar, and a rope-climbing section, but all the boy could say about them was that they were all going to be the death of him. He already regretted ever considering attending this event.

Shaking his head to quell his paranoid thoughts, Dmitri strode towards a redheaded girl he knew to be the Slytherin Prefect he was going to be teaming with. She was talking with another boy, who, Dmitri assumed, was Aaron Jones. Both of them didn't look so substantial nor competent, and that fact didn't help the boy's growing anxiety.

But Dmitri was nothing if not in control of his emotions, though, so by the time he reached the pair, he was just as composed as ever--though his thoughts were still running laps around his mind. Clearing his throat, he announced his presence by a haughty, "I will be doing the hurdles, thank you very much."

So far, at face-value, the said obstacles were the hardest for someone as... lanky as him. But as they were static, moveable objects, Dmitri figured they were the easiest to spell or enchant when the professors weren't looking.

He wasn't above a little... boost to his performance.
564 words out of 1,000
If you can't beat 'em, nerf 'em.
Stamina: 20, Evasion: 11, Strength: 2, Wisdom: 18, ArcPower: 11, Accuracy: 20
One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed
Interacting with @Aaron Jones and @Dmitri Jones
@Rosalind Kibitzer | @Hjørdis Jensen
Lucky for her, the next contestants didn't take too long to finally show up. The first one was someone she didn't recognise. Was this the Hufflepuff that the Professor wrote about? Carefully pulling onto her elbows, stretching her arm over her body, Nico smiled softly. He wasn't especially tall or anything, but she knew that looks could be deceiving. 'O-Oh. Yeah, I'm Nico. Nice to meet you.' With a soft nod of her head she greeted him. Just like her, he was fully ready to take on this challenge. Nico was glad to see he was motivated and dressed for the occassion.

As they both glanced at the parkour laid infront of them, Nico nodded softly. 'Well.. I'd want to do the hurdles, I'm honest. Do you mind if I go for that?' Her springy long legs would be best of use on something like hurdles. Her strength in general wasn't that... great. Her qualities were to be fast and easy to move around. Standing still and fighting something that was bigger than her usually didn't end well for her. 'Oh please. Go ahead and do the climbing net.' He didn't look necesarrily strong but... she was glad to see he was eyeing for something he was most likely good at. Probably. Hopefully.

But, here came trouble. She recognised that voice anywhere. Dmitri. The infamous third year that often seemed to lack manners. Their first encounter at the Great Lake wasn't a real smooth one but she wanted to give him a chance to become better. 'The hurdles? I'm very sorry, Dmitri. But I already called dibs on the hurdles.' She folded her arms and looked up at him. Her eyes cold and stern. 'If you had gotten here on time, than maybe, maybe you would've gotten the opportunity to pick whichever you want.' Nico went easy on Aaron. She didn't know him well and first impressions were pretty important. Dmi on the other hand... He needed a little extra steering. 'So. It's the monkey bars for you.' Turning her head, basicly slapping her ponytail in his face, she made herself ready to take on the hurdles.
Wordcount: 516 + 357 = 873
You're gonna need a bigger boat
One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed
Interacting with @Nico Shymane and @Dmitri Jones
"Nice to meet you, too." Seeing that Nico was continuing to stretch as they spoke, Aaron decided to join her. He lifted a foot behind him and grabbed it, stressing the calves of his legs. He nodded when she mentioned doing the hurdles. He might actually be good at them if he tried, considering Taekwondo involved a lot of flexibility and high kicks. But the redhead was definitely better suited to it, considering she actually wanted to do them.

Nico seemed really nice, and Aaron considered himself lucky for being paired with a motivated person. He felt that as Quidditch players, they were somewhat like kindred spirits. They understood the call of exercise (or so he assumed). He knew some players weren't as passionate as others, but he was always an optimist about it. Maybe Nico wanted to be a professional like himself, and that's why she was here challenging her body!

Before he could confirm this, though, the first year noticed a boy approaching them. That must be Dmitri Jones. Aaron tilted his head slightly, wondering if the bright blond of his hair was natural. He didn't have the chance to ask because the first words out the upperclassman's mouth claimed the hurdles for himself. Aaron's lips turned down at the corners, thrown by Dmitri's abruptness. No introduction or "hello, good morning." Just a demand for one of the obstacles. Even his "thank you very much" seemed condescending.

A glance at Nico revealed she wasn't exactly happy with the new arrival either. She addressed him by name, meaning she probably knew him. Aaron's eyes widened slightly when the girl whipped her hair around and practically slapped Dmitri in the face. Maybe she wasn't as nice as he had thought.

"Hey, I'm Aaron," he said, continuing to stretch. "Nico's right - She was here even before me, so I think she should get the hurdles. I wanna do the climbing net, so the monkey bars are left," Aaron chimed in. Honestly, if Dmitri had approached the duo with a bit more courtesy, Aaron probably would've offered to let him take the climbing net if he really wanted to. As it was, though, Dmitri wasn't giving the best first impression.

"Now that we're all here, shall we get started?" he asked, his eyes once again roving the relay. "It'd be really cool if we could set the best record," Aaron said, more to himself than to the others. He knew there was no guarantee, especially since he had no idea about how his partners would be on their respective obstacles. Even Aaron himself could mess up! But it was always nice to dream.
Word Count: 563 + 441 = 1004/1000
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
One Is Not Like The Others Errand Closed
Interacting with @Nico Shymane @Aaron Jones
Ever the epitome of a perfect Slytherin student, Dmitri was not a person prone to outbursts of emotion—though the smug and condescending refusal of both his rather unwanted partners in the relay race brought him that much closer to one. There was nothing that annoyed him more than when things didn't go his way, especially when it did not go his way because of other people.

The boy was known for one thing in particular: everything proceeds according to plan—his plan. And if it doesn't, he will make it so.

Dmitri's eyebrow twitched as the two younger students commented on his tardiness and how—because of this—he lost his privilege to choose which obstacle he was going to deal with. If he were anywhere close to being sociable and friendly, he would have cited the need for teamwork, cooperation, and strategy: people were simply better at different things. The course would go more smoothly if the order were given more thought. It wasn't a case of who picked what first, but a who's better and quicker at what.

But he was on edge and could not be bothered to care whether he's stepping on anyone's toes—the other two surely didn't care that they stepped on his.

So he was more or less standing and stewing as the two blatantly dissed his failure to come on time.

Maybe he was late because he did not want to do the thing in the first place. Perhaps he was late because he knows jackshit nothing about his teammates—and cares enough about them in the same amount: jackshit. And maybe he was late because he wanted to be.

Did anyone of them think of that?

Dmitri watched them turn a blind eye to him—flexing his fingers in irritation—and fought back the intense urge to curse the smugness off of both students' faces. And he was successful for a while.

That is until the girl strode off to steal his spot in the hurdles quite haughtily.

Dmitri's wand appeared in his hand, snatched unceremoniously from his pocket by the boy himself in a flash of anger.

Rude, ignorant girl.

Not caring at all that two professors were overseeing the whole ordeal, the Slytherin boy pronounced a clear Flipendo, aiming to trip the girl up on her way to the course.

That will teach her some respect.

Whatever would result from his small spell, the superior Jones would take long strides towards the play area.

If these annoying little children were stupid enough not to cooperate, then he would just do everything himself.

Screw this relay. Screw his teammates. Screw the whole thing, Dmitri would think to himself as he launched himself at the obstacle course.
If you can't beat 'em, nerf 'em.
Stamina: 20, Evasion: 11, Strength: 2, Wisdom: 18, ArcPower: 11, Accuracy: 20
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