27 Mar 2022, 09:07
Those Who Dare
As Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English · #586d9d | French · #056b68March 27th, 2022 | Near the Goblet of Fire
PV with Phyllis Stanwood (@Bridget Collins)
Narrowing his eyes with suspicion, Maxi stared at the over-enthusiastic students who were eagerly putting pieces of paper into the enigmatic goblet. He was, of course, among the numerous bystanders in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, but unlike others he was not cheering for those brave souls. Instead he was standing alone, arms crossed, face cold, and wary in expression - the French certainly didn’t seem like fitting in the atmosphere. Occasionally his dark grey eyes would lift up from the enormous blue flames and to the flowery decorations as well as the glossy ribbons, and one might be able to identify that this dark haired boy seemed much more interested in those if they were keen-eyed enough.
Seven days had passed. And yet he had not taken his action.
Before boarding the flying carriage and heading for the Scottish Highland, Maxi had received countless letters from his grandfather reminding him not to forget putting his name into the Goblet. Louis de Fostoncy was obviously kindled by the Hexwizard Tournament idea as soon as it was announced, and in no time had decided that he would want to see the de Fostoncy name shine in the event. He urged his grandson to go for it upon the very first day Maxi arrived in England, and be the first to put his name in. On the other hand Maxi was not interested at all. In fact, he was not preparing to set off for Britain in the very beginning, since in his idea Hogwarts was a scary place with dangerous balls and frightening students. Even the thought of meeting his cousin couldn’t cheer him up, as he had already grown wary of these visits. The first time he was here a silver knight rushed into the ballroom and the windows shattered. The second time he was hit by a miss fired spell from a group fighting students. The third time - ah, the third time he was first trapped under a tent and then sent flying on top of it in heavy rain. That were certainly not the best of experiences.
His mind went roughly through these, when he continued to watch the bold ones coming up closely. One, two, three…he counted, mutely. He was still hesitant about whether he should follow his grandfather’s instructions and put his own name in or simply write back and tell him that he sadly wasn’t chosen, and he tended to avoid seeing the massive goblet. Today however he had made up his mind to pay it a visit, and perhaps to make the final decision.
He didn’t want to join, he really didn’t. But he didn’t want to lie either. Sighing, Maxi again lifted his eyes towards the flowers. Those were much more satisfying, allowing him to temporarily escape from the debate going on in his heart. The balls were dangerous already, and so would be this tournament - if he did join, he would possibly be sent flying on a rooftop twice, instead of a tent-top once. And Maxi certainly didn’t want that to happen.
To join or not to join, that was a question.
“Hogwarts balls are stupid.” he suddenly uttered, in his mother tongue. Really, if there hadn’t been this ball, he would not be hesitating on this foreign land. “- and I can’t see why this tournament is so attractive.” he switched into English. “It’s dangerous, obviously.”
He was not a daring person. And perhaps the best choice for him was to turn around and leave.
Maximilien de Fostoncy · Beauxbatons "Just call me Maxi." |
Hufflepuff · Lindsey Springhall "Or, have some lemonade." |
2 Apr 2022, 05:41
Those Who Dare
Phyllis had put in her name on the very first day, letting the excitement build until after dinner that day being the extent of her deliberation. So while the entering was done and over with, now merely a test of her patience as she waited for the results, she had taken up spending her free time in the Great Hall. She'd found a suitable spot to sit, and while she did bring her homework along in case she magically felt like doing it there, her real intention was to watch the entering. It was all the entertainment she needed, the hall thriving on encouragement, cheers, and anticipation. Who would enter? How would they enter--with flair, simplicity, hesitance? Who was likely to get chosen? When she wasn't just watching, she'd taken up discussing such things with some of the others gathered.
The days left to enter were trickling away, and that had meant less action overall. Which was okay, Phyllis did have homework to do. But it seemed like the approaching deadline was having things pick up a little bit, entries scattered at odd times throughout the day. Probably the more cautious types who needed to make pro-con lists and ask for a million opinions were only now making up their minds. She had been working on a bit of reading, but there was absolutely no way any focus would go to school stuff when the noise picked up; her book lay turned over, forgotten. And so she had been engaged with the crowd, adding in her cheers as someone made their move, but again, she found her attention stolen.
It was weird, Phyllis was almost always drawn to the loud. The flashy, the adrenaline-filled, the noise-making. Sometimes she found such things annoying--namely, when it was Plott--but it was what she gravitated toward. Such things demanded attention, and she was comfortable in the loud. But right now her eyes were on the opposite: a silent, indifferent-looking boy standing a ways to her right. Maybe it was the novelty of it. Phyllis was used to the atmosphere of the hall by now, so someone not fitting with that stood out. Even without making a sound, that made him interesting.
No, she was not staring at him. What Phyllis had been doing was glancing over intermittently, just to see what he was doing if not melting into the crowd. He wasn't even watching the Goblet, really; it was on a platform, not the ceiling he kept glancing toward. She glanced up, too. Okay, that was... actually really cool. Phyllis wasn't blind, so of course she'd noticed the petals, but to notice out of the corner of her eye was not the same as to look.
It was because of the mesmerizing flowers that she wasn't too caught up in the Goblet business as to miss hearing when he did speak up. She didn't catch the first part, assuming it was because she hadn't anticipated the silent figure would actually say anything (really, the main issue was that she just didn't know French), but she did get the rest. Ah, was that why he was so disinterested? He was one of the people who had reservations about the tournament. She'd talked to a few of those people when she was gathering opinions on the first day and debated with at least two since then. And people were absolutely allowed to have their own opinions, but she couldn't help but poke around at changing their minds.
"Well, yeah." She'd turned to face him, and slid down the bench so they weren't talking across people for good measure. "But it's so much more than just dangerous. I mean, it's a chance to test your skill, prove yourself if you're into that--" she'd brought in her fingers to count off-- "be part of a fun team. I bet it's just a really cool experience." Cool was not the most descriptive of words. Thrilling might have been better. Looks good on a resume could have also worked, though that wasn't where her line of thought was. "And what's to say you'll ever get another chance? There hasn't been a consistent tournament schedule for a long time."
She shrugged, her pitch complete. "Anyway, hi. I'm Phyllis and I'm from Ilvermorny. What's your name?" A smile was offered. Her comfort jumping into conversation with a stranger might be off-putting, but at least she no longer spoke at the volume of her eleven-year-old self. "What brings you here, if you're not interested in the tournament? If it's to watch the flowers, then fair. They're very pretty."
Bridget Collins (PC) • Aislin Darragh (2nd gen PC) • Alejandros Espinosa (2nd gen iNPC)
10 Apr 2022, 08:04
Those Who Dare
As Maximilien "Maxi" de Fostoncy [x]
English · #586d9d | French · #056b68
PV with Phyllis Stanwood (@Bridget Collins)
He took a good look of her, the auburn hair that wasn’t so popular a colour in his own country catching his eyes. The newcomer seemed comfortable striking a conversation with an unacquainted person (unlike him), and this kind of easiness made him put down his guard. His gentle dark grey eyes fell on the girl, when she - with an alarming amount of confidence - retorted to him that this tournament was the coolest experience ever.
“But -” he was about to refute as soon as the girl stopped, but she carried on and introduced herself as Phyllis. That was quite a pretty name, thought Maxi, and it fit her. He decided to wait for the girl concluding herself, and listened quietly in a gentle manner. When Phyllis mentioned the flowers, he naturally casted a glance towards the petals once again. “Perhaps.” he muttered, having not completely overcome his shyness. Remembering that this was not so polite, he slightly raised his volume. “I am Maximilien from Beauxbatons, but please, just address me as Maxi. And, I’m glad that we share the same view when it comes to the flowers, Phyllis.” it was a rare occasion really, when he wasn’t using any title for people he met. But his mind was busy occupied now, ready to refute the girl’s opinions.
He fixed his eyes on her again. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I have to say that I do not support your opinions regarding the Hexwizard Tournament. A team, yes, but dangerous still.” a small pause marked his slight uneasiness conversing with a completely unknown person, but it didn’t last for long. “While there might be elder students who are capable of overcoming some kinds danger in the trials, younger ones will not. And it’s very imprudent that they did not set an age limit. I’ve seen plenty of younger students throwing their names into the goblet these days.” he pointed out.
Remembering that Phyllis had talked about the tournament as a one-time chance, he shrugged slightly. “When there’s once, there will be twice. I can see the event turning into an annual thing eventually - if not, then once in every other year - so I definitely suggest wait first and see the outcome.” he hurried, seldom being that talkative. “You never know how capable Hogwarts is. I mean, they are always creating - um, exciting adventures, starting from the balls they host.” he concluded. If Phyllis was sensitive enough, she would be able to identify the sarcasm in his words. Maxi himself had never regarded those horrible things as “exciting”, but perhaps Phyllis would think so - she regarded this tournament as cool, after all.
He stopped and waited for her comment. It was interesting enough - he was starting to like this little debate between them, and was ignoring the crowd around cheering for the daring students. Maxi would generally avoid talking near large crowds, but no, not today. He simply wanted to prove that he was right instead of this Ilvermony girl who appeared in front of him from nowhere, and that would be all.
It was simple indeed, perhaps simpler than any task he had dealt with so far - and it shouldn’t take long for him to finish the debate as the one and only winner.
Maximilien de Fostoncy · Beauxbatons "Just call me Maxi." |
Hufflepuff · Lindsey Springhall "Or, have some lemonade." |
29 Jun 2022, 01:35
Those Who Dare
Phyllis would say they were off to a great start, solely because Maxi's introduction established him as a reasonable sort of person--Maximilien was far too many syllables to say, so any smart person would adopt a nickname. It was also going well solely by nature of him engaging in conversation, because it didn't happen very often, but sometimes people she walked up to would make it incredibly clear they just didn't want to talk, and that was always a little awkward.
He was from the French school, Beauxbatons. That was a hard word to spell, but so was her own Ilvermorny--what was it with wizarding schools and convoluted spellings? He also had a pretty formal way of talking, but she only half-noted that, more interested in what he was saying, how he would answer.
So, all of his concerns were pretty reasonable. Younger students were less well-versed in the magical world, less developed in their skills, and in some cases might not have even properly hit puberty yet. She could concur that eleven-year-olds fighting dragons, or whatever, was probably not the best of ideas. But! "That's true, but the Goblet is still doing the picking. It's meant to choose someone who can be a champion, so it's only going to choose a younger student if they really have what it takes." Was Phyllis an expert on the goblet's functionings? Absolutely not. But she knew some and held it in enough reverence from her childhood to trust its magical sentience.
"And it really will be much safer in teams. Strength in numbers and all that. You'll have people to balance out different strengths and weaknesses and help each other through." The value of teamwork was something Phyllis was a little more certified to speak on, drawing on firsthand experience. You couldn't play Quidditch by yourself, but you didn't have to. And sure, Phyllis would probably be a horrible Seeker, but that's why she was a Keeper and had a teammate to do that. People were just better as a group.
Maxi's idea of waiting to see how the first one went was indeed, objectively, incredibly wise. If it went fine, then you knew you wouldn't be risking your life and could try in the years to follow. If it went to hell, then you stayed out of harm's way. It was safe. But Phyllis was thinking about this from a completely different angle. "I guess. It's just not a guarantee. What if they go for longer intervals, so the next one is once you're graduated? I don't know about you, but I'd be mad at myself if I didn't go for my one shot at this." It would be such a missed opportunity. And that was the difference between them: Phyllis was already convinced this tournament would be an amazing experience, while Maxi was not.
She had to smirk a bit as Hogwarts balls were dragged into the conversation. Considering her friend had been hit with a whole door getting rammed down in their first year, he wasn't wrong--Hogwarts balls were questionable. Lots of fire, and stuff. "I'm sure our schools are involved enough to make sure Hogwarts doesn't just set the entire tournament on fire." It was said very jokingly, but she did mean it. "And even their balls aren't so bad. They can be chaotic"--the word she was looking for was dangerous--"but still fun."
"Like, if you genuinely think you'll hate it, then don't put your name in. But if you think you might want to, wouldn't it be worth going for it? Then it's just up to the Goblet to determine if you're fit for it." She said it with another shrug. At the end of the day, though she would love for everyone to share her enthusiasm, different people had different opinions and she was hardly going to force someone into something they didn't want to do. Just, nudge in that direction a bit. And if they budged, great! If not, that was fine too.
Bridget Collins (PC) • Aislin Darragh (2nd gen PC) • Alejandros Espinosa (2nd gen iNPC)