|
|
The Green Siblings Try Out
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 11-19-13 18:13
Hunter and Jade sit huddled together, doing a running commentary on the current scrimmage match underway. Olive, who is sitting directly in front of them turns around, giving them the stink eye. "You know, it's not that bad that you two are analyzing how others are doing but that whole twin speak, finishing each other's sentences thing is beyond annoying."
"What twin speak " "Finishing each other's" "Sentences thing?"
They give her angelic innocent smiles but Olive knows them far too well to fall for their we have no idea what you mean act. They know full and well that with each other they can talk in half sentences, one finishing what the other began, or just as annoyingly, having no need to finish verbalizing a thought. There's also their made up words that only they seem to understand.
"Olive's being foozy again."
"And tunky."
Just like that. Foozy. Tunky. What the hell are those? Thank God they aren't the same sex and identical.
Luckily for the twins, Pyrrhus Fine is gesturing to her. "Looks like I'm up next."
Jade and Hunter give her matching grins, both wishing they'd been called down as well for the next match. At times neither can believe that for half their lives they didn't know something as wonderful as Quidditch even existed.
Each has only been in one match so far today. Jade, hoping to reclaim her position as a Ravenclaw beater and Hunter, wanting to again be Gryffindor keeper, were in that scrimmage together, playing on the same team.
Just after the tip off in which the other team took possession of the quaffle, Jade had smacked a bludger at the chaser with the red ball, which in turn caused a turnover. She ended up having her work cut out for her the entire match as one of the chasers on her team had never played in an actual game before and the other two only played the occasional pick up match and neither had done much to prepare for the trials. Between the three of them the quaffle kept going back to the opposing team.
Jade saved each of them too many times to count from getting something broken by a bludger, as did her team's other beater. Even then the chaser each had trouble hanging on the quaffle no matter how hard she and her fellow beater worked to help them keep it. The other team's chasers were also fairly inexperienced but Jade knows at least one of them was on the pitch every day these past two weeks putting in some practice. She's not as sure about the other two but they don't seem as nervous or fumbly as the three on her team.
Hunter, in the meantime, was faced with having more opportunities to see action than the other keeper. With his and Jade's chasers losing the quaffle so many times, the other team ended up with more opportunities to score. Hunter knocked back the quaffle time after time. It only got past him once and that's only because a beater on the other team was able to get a bludger off at him before it could be redirected. When the allotted time for the match ended, the two seekers had been hot on the trail of the snitch, but though both were close to grabbing it, neither had a hand on it when the whistle blew.
The match ended with 0 points for Jade's and Hunter's team and only the 10 for the other.
The current scrimmage ends and the fourteen players descend to the ground. Within a couple of minutes fourteen others had taken to the air, Olive among them. This is her second match and like the first, she's playing chaser this go around, the same position she's played each year she's been on a team.
In that match she'd missed getting the quaffle at the game's start by a mere inch. More determined this time, Olive aggressively battles her way to it, plucking it from the fingers of another Slytherin, but who's on the other team.
She bolts forward, rapidly accelerating from the pack, ducking a bludger in the process. A beater is directly in her path so she curves to go around, taking her along one side of the pitch. The other team's keeper is now the only person in front of her. Olive has the choice of slowing slightly to allow her teammate chasers to get into positions to receive a pass, which in turn also allows the other team's chasers to catch up, or to keep shooting forward and taking a goal shot.
Olive chooses the latter option.
Driving forward, angling towards the hoops from her boundary position, Olive is quickly within a good shooting range. She takes the shot, with the keeper rebuffing it. With no one around yet to vie for the quaffle, she easily catches the rebound. As she takes her second shot, others begin reaching her. The shot is again turned away and this time there's a scramble for the quaffle.
By the match's end, the low scoring game has Olive's team with 30 points, with two of those goals made by her, and the other team with 20. One seeker was taken out of the match by a bludger about halfway through the time given for the game to take place and the other seeker never spotted the snitch once after it was released.
Jade and Hunter sit out the next one as well but Jade's called for the one after that. Bat in hand she sits her broom, eyes already on a bludger to go after once the quaffle is released. Jackrabbiting for it Jade reaches that bludger before anyone else. She targets not the person on the other team with the quaffle but the chaser that one looks to already be ready to hand off to. The result is that the quaffle is sent to that chaser before the one doing the throwing realizes there's a bludger on the way. The quaffle goes right pass its intended target when that person doubles over from the bludger hit.
Smiling in satisfaction, she rapidly scans for the location of the other bludger in relation to the one she's just hit. The other one is nearer so she goes for it only to back off when a beater from the other team arrives first. Jade waits for the other girl, a Hufflepuff whose name she knows but for some reason is blanking on at the moment, to hit the bludger while assessing who the likely target is and heading that direction.
Jade thought wrong on which of her teammates the beater was aiming for but she's still close enough to the one who was targeted for her to get there in time to reroute the black ball before it connects with the intended chaser.
She gets her own fingers bruised at one point when doing another redirect, coming in fast on the bludger and at an awkward angle. Instead of getting it with the flat of her bat, she got it with the handle, right where her fingers were curled tightly around. At match's end, the fingers are bruised but not noticeably swollen. Even if they were, Jade's put in hours of practice using both hands to bat so if her dominant hand starts bothering her as the day wears on should she get to play in more scrimmages, which she hopes she does, she can simply switch hands and not be slowed in the slightest by the bruising.
Returning to sit by her brother, Jade realizes she never paid attention to the score. She starts to ask but then shrugs it away. She played well and she knows it. Whether her team won or lost is no reflection on that.
Hunter isn't there when Jade, after grabbing something to drink, gets back to their seats. Her eyes go to the pitch where six chasers are staring at the quaffle, waiting for it to be put into play. From there her eyes shift from one end of the pitch to the other. Hunter is on the end to her left, positioned in front of the three large hoops there.
The match starts, Hunter already on high alert, closely watching the action. It's moving the other direction at the moment but that could change in the span of a blink. The chasers reach the other keeper but after one shot is taken and turned back, the quaffle is caught by someone from the other team, fourth year like Hunter by the name of Bartholomew Kimple. By the mid-pitch mark Bart's passed off to a girl who Hunter doesn't recognize so he takes her to be a first year, maybe a second. The third chaser on that team is an older Slytherin and that's who has the quaffle when the action reaches Hunter.
The Slytherin takes a shot before really being ready so the quaffle goes somewhat wild, passing between the rings of two of the hoops. After it's retrieved, it goes to Hunter's team but a bludger causes the chaser in possession to lose her hold on it. That younger girl Hunter can't place grabs it and throws to Bart Kimple. Bart, in turn, hurls the quaffle straight to the center hoop, Hunter batting it away with the flat of one hand.
The older Slytherin gets the red ball and this time makes a much better throw. It nearly gets by Hunter but only nearly so. He has to stretch for it but is able to knock it back, though it's not a hard hit so it doesn't go far. In the chasers' scrabbling after it so close to him, he somehow takes a hard kick to the knee. It's an accident, or so he hopes, and though it is a hard kick, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as a bludger to the knee would.
When time's called, he's turned the quaffle back every single time. His team scored three goals; but, time is called because the opposing seeker caught the snitch with only three and a half minutes to spare before the allotted time would be up.
Grabbing a piece of fruit from the refreshment table, Hunter walks off the pitch, limping a little. Now that he's on the ground, the kicked knee is hurting a lot more than it had in the air.
(Mark) Trials
Author: Isolde
Date: 11-19-13 19:02
Mark had made it through two entire weeks of being back at Hogwarts without having a single conversation with Kate. They didn't share any classes, except for Fitness & Athletics, and that class was large enough that he could avoid her as long as they continued with individual exercises.
He hadn't even had real conversations with his other friends, whom he saw much more frequently, since they belonged to the same Hogwarts house. Frankly, he was surprised they hadn't corned him for information yet, but he was glad for the reprieve.
Gus had been the only one to ever say anything to him, the most having been on the Hogwarts Express. Since returning to Hogwarts, his words had consisted of passing comments whenever they met in the common room. At least, Gus was managing to keep his fists to himself.
With the Quidditch season starting, Mark wasn't sure how he would be able to continue ignoring Gus. If they both made the team again, then they would have to work together. Mark didn't want to jeopardize the team by refusing to cooperate with Gus, but he also refused to bow out of playing this year. This was his last at Hogwarts, after all.
He clutched his beater's bat and bounded in the direction of the pack of chasers, when he noticed one of the opposing beaters gearing up to hit one of his teammates. Mark put himself in between the pack and the black ball, whacking it hard to get it far from his chasers. He swiveled his head around to check for the other ball and then dashed after the one he had just sent away.
An opposing beater reached it first, but Mark again put himself between it and its target. He redirected it at the other team's keeper, who was preparing to block a goal attempt. The bludger struck true, hitting the keeper in the jaw, and caused several teeth to fly out in a mass of bloody spittle.
The match was put on hold, and after an assessment from the professional Quidditch players helping out, the keeper was taken from the game. It was then decided to end that particular scrimmage.
Mark touched down, feeling extra irritated, and grabbed a cup of water from the table on the sidelines. He drained the cup and then crushed it in his hand, before tossing it into the waste basket.
He just happened to glance up into the stands, where he saw Kate and the others sitting together. None looked at him. They had their heads ducked together and appeared to be discussing something unpleasant. Mark figured they considered him a monster for injuring that keeper so severely. He frowned and turned away from the stands, thinking it was his job to hit bludgers at people, but knowing that his extra anger probably made his actions harsher than normal.
He heard his name called again and immediately mounted his Firebolt II, still feeling full of energy after the abrupt end of the last scrimmage match. Mark's frown deepened when he heard that Gus would be playing in the scrimmage, too. They would be on opposite teams, however.
The scrimmage began with his teammate getting possession of the quaffle. Mark did his best to assist her down the Pitch, knocking away bludgers aimed at her, and when he could, redirecting them for his team's advantage. His team's chaser made quickly reached the goal hoops Gus guarded.
This was the moment Mark had been dreading. He didn't want Gus to think any injury Mark caused him was for any reason other than the match currently underway, but somehow Mark felt that Gus and his other friends would think him awful if he even aimed a bludger in his direction.
Well, Mark could either not play well and risk losing his place on the team or make an honest attempt at hitting Gus so that his teammate could score. He went with the latter, but Gus moved so swiftly that the hit was avoided. It wasn't entirely clear to Mark that Gus had even seen that it had been his bludger targeting him, but his friends were sure to tell him later.
Gus caught the quaffle and handed it off to his teammate. Mark, feeling disgruntled, hurried off after the nearest bludger.
(Gus) Two Unpleasant Scrimmages
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 11-20-13 08:14
Like in the past Gus had signed for the keeper position and he was now on the middle of his first scrimmage, and he had happened to be playing against Mark.
Gus watched his chaser teammate flying away with the quaffle on her hands, speeding up away from his hoops. Once he made sure the quaffle was at a safe distance, he tried to locate Mark with his eyes and he felt tempted to jinx him due. He was pretty sure the bludger had been his, even if he hadn't seen him throwing it. But he thought Mark might want a chance to avenge himself after the punch on the train and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. However, Gus knew that using his wand during the scrimmage or even during a break at the trials could result on him not making the Slytherin team and that was something he didn't want.
Gus couldn't help to wonder what it would be like if both and Mark made the team. Of course they would have to work together if they wanted Slytherin to have good exhibitions at the pitch, but he also knew his temper well and he didn't wish to take orders from Mark. Mark had been co-captain of the team last year and it was possible that he would be nominated captain and this idea didn't please Gus not even a bit.
He decided to put those thoughts behind his back for now and he returned his attention to the scrimmage. Somehow the quaffle was again in the possession of the other team. Gus watched the chasers working together, trying to reach his hoops again. The chasers from his team tried to block passes and steal the red ball from them, but they were failing. Gus didn't mind, because he was ready to make another defense. It was just another chance to prove his skills. The chaser raised his hand and Gus noticed his hand, shaking, perhaps with anticipation. The quaffle was shot to the right and Gus flew in that direction, using his hands to stop the goal. He didn't lose anytime and passed the quaffle to his teammate once again.
The match continued and there was another bludger coming in his direction when he was about to make another defense. At the last moment, Gus decided to save his skin instead of grabbing the ball and the quaffle entered the hoops. He couldn't help to shot a furious glance at Mark: they had played Quidditch together for years and he knew his weaknesses. Thank Merlin the snitch was caught moments later, and the scrimmage ended.
Gus took a small pause, and he noticed Mark moving to the other side of the pitch, holding his broom. He thought that it was a good decision of him. He was so mad he could have tried to punch him again even if Mark was armed with his beater bat.
For his relief, the next time he was called Mark was not playing. He flew right away to his side of the pitch and put himself in a defensive position, feeling in a better mood than he was before. He even permitted himself a smile, as he looked to the other players who were already lined up at the center of the pitch, ready for the balls to be released. Gus had been in such a rush to be up in the air once again, that he didn't even listen half the names that had been called. He just made sure Mark was not one of them. But now he wished that he had done so, as the smile died on his lips.
Igraine van Tassel was mounted on a broom. She looked minuscule and he only recognized her by her mass of long curls and the nose, of course. His nose. She was playing on the opposite team as a chaser and there was determination in her eyes when Marmaduke Flowers blew his whistle and released the balls, giving start to the scrimmage.
As much as he tried Gus couldn't help to stop looking at Igraine. He hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself, like most first years did. But it was clear that she could at least fly, and keep her grip together without falling off the broom. The quaffle was held by an older chaser and he passed the ball to Igraine. However, she couldn't hold it properly and dropped it in the air. Gus' teammate caught it and he watched his team flying towards the other direction of the pitch, avoiding all the bludgers. They managed to work well together and they didn't lost the quaffle. One of them scored a goal.
The quaffle was once again in the opponent team's hands. This time the older boy didn't pass the quaffle to Igraine or their other fellow chaser and instead he tried to sprint all his way towards' Gus hoops. It worked because no one was expecting it. He threw the quaffle to the left. It was a powerful shot, but Gus was able to defend it. He passed the quaffle to one of his team's chasers but then when he tried to pass it to another chaser, the red ball was stolen by the older boy with the potent shot. He turned once again to Gus.
"Persistent, huh?" he murmured, focusing on the quaffle, ready for the boy to shot once again, and of course ready to stop him from scoring.
However the boy surprised him and he passed the quaffle to another chaser on his left, who didn't lost time to shot. Gus was caught in surprise and he still tried to stretch to try and stop the quaffle from entering the hoop but it was too later. The scrimmage was now 10 to 10 thanks to Igraine, who had scored. She was smiling with pure satisfaction, while Gus was once again furious. The match continued, but not for long because a bludger had hit someone on the head, making the player fall.
Gus was taking a glance at the seekers, when that happened and only later he realized that the small figure on the ground was Igraine. The scrimmage was suspended and Gus landed on the floor, as well as the rest of the players. Most wanted to confirm Igraine's state and it was hard to admit that he was concerned as well.
"Mr. Van Tassel, would you please escort your sister to the Hospital Wing?" Coach Krum asked Gus.
He protested because he wanted to play more, but Krum said he had already seen enough for now. With reluctance, Gus took Igraine to the Hospital Wing. She had only lost her senses for a moment and she felt in conditions to walk. There was blood falling from her head, but the wound seemed superficial. None of them spoke.
Igraine was pale and she was trying not to show weakness in front of her brother, but he was sure her head hurt. They walked slowly and moments later they were surrounded by another girl and a boy, both wearing the Slytherin crest on their robes. Gus assumed they were Igraine's friends.
"Is she going to be all right?" the girl questioned Gus.
"How many fingers can you see, Igraine?" the boy asked, putting himself in front of Igraine and showing her 3 fingers. She didn't reply. "If you die, can I have your broom?"
"She is not going to die! Is she?" the girl seemed preoccupied, and she searched Gus' eyes for an answer.
Gus assured the girl that was not going to happen, that Madam Pomfrey was going to take good care of Igraine. They kept walking and finally they arrived to the hospital wing, which already had several injured students. Madam Pomfrey was complaining outloud about Quidditch and bludgers as she assisted Igraine, dismissing both Gus and the other two younger students. Gus went back to the Quittich pitch, trying not to worry about Igraine.
Not So Easy After All
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 11-20-13 13:57
It had been harder than she thought. They made it seem easy when they were up in the air, passing the quaffle between themselves, using the bats to deviate bludgers, defend the massive hoops and even catch the tiny snitch.
Sophie really thought she could do it. She knew how to fly a broom, so she assumed the rest was easy. Caleb had refused to sign up for the trials but Sophie had done so. She waved at him and Estine who were watching at the stands, when she entered the pitch holding her broom. She was feeling relaxed and she thought this would be just like one of Coach Krum's flying workshops. Soon she learned that it was not quite the same.
Almost everyone wanted desperately to be part of their house's Quidditch team, and they did anything to prove they were the best. The Gryffindors were bolder than ever, risking even their bodies if needed and the Ravenclaws used their wit and intelligence in order to stand out. The Huffleppufs showed dedication and fair play, and they committed one hundred percent to the game. Finally the ambitious Slytherins didn't mind to ignore the rules once in a while if they had sure their personal goals would be achieved.
When she was called for her first scrimmage, her confidence had already been shaken by the drills. She never imagined that a snitch could move so fast. Aleydis Vanderbilt, the Hufflepuff seeker from last year, made it look so easy, when she caught the snitch that gave the victory to her house at the championship match last term. But Sophie learned that even before trying to catch the snitch, the small golden ball needed to be found. And that had proved to be a very hard task.
She was feeling very nervous as her eyes looked desperately around the pitch in search for the snitch during the scrimmage. It was hard to resist the temptation to look at the other players and see how the chasers of her team were doing. She also had to be alert for any bludgers coming in her direction. She kept flying around, trying to spot the snitch. Sophie started to become frustrated because there was no sign of the golden ball. She looked to the other seeker and for a moment she decided to just follow her, in case he would find it.
Finally the snitch appeared and both of them started to chase it, trying to catch it. The other seeker, an older girl, was faster and she didn't hesitate to use her body to collide against Sophie. She was not expecting so and she lost control of the broom. Once she gained it back, the other girl was closer to the snitch than her. She stretched her arm and grabbed it, giving the victory to her team.
The scrimmage ended and Sophie dismounted her Supernova, feeling bitter because she was not able to catch the snitch. She knew the scrimmage didn't really count for anything, but she could feel her teammates' disappointment. Sophie couldn't even image what would be like to have an entire house feeling bad because she failed.
Sophie thought about giving up the trials but because she always liked to finish what she started she stayed until the end, playing another scrimmage and once again failing to catch the snitch. When she was sure she wouldn't be called again she joined Estine and Caleb at the stands.
"You were good," Estine complimented her.
Sophie knew she was saying that just to be nice, but she didn't contradict her. Caleb was more realistic:
"With some practice you'll get there. You're just not used to it, that's all."
She thanked her friends for their support. She was glad because she knew that no matter how bad she was, they would always be there for her.
3 Vanderbilts
Author: Griet
Date: 11-20-13 17:47
Aleydis prowled the skies, searching for the golden snitch. Out of all the positions up for grabs, she thought selecting the best seekers would be the most difficult, since the snitch didn't always show itself during the allotted time for each scrimmage match. Luckily, she had already gotten to show her stuff during the previous match she'd participated in, but not everybody vying for seeker had gotten the same opportunity so far.
Meanwhile, Beatrix hunkered over her broomstick, her eyes on the quaffle as it sped rapidly in her direction. She followed it as it moved from hand to hand and then dove with both arms outstretched, setting it back into the fray before it could go through the ring. Unfortunately, it went straight back into the arms of one of the opposing chasers. He shot, but Beatrix knocked the ball away again with a slap of her hand. One of her teammates caught the rebound and hurried to put distance between herself and the goals.
Franciscus, playing beater, looked for both bludgers to see which would be easiest to get to and quickly dashed off to intercept one being aimed for the chaser currently possessing the quaffle. He didn't reach it before it hit her, but he was able to target the enemy chaser who'd just stolen the quaffle. The bludger knocked the chaser in the arm, causing him to lose his hold on the quaffle.
Beatrix prepared herself for the onslaught heading her way, but the quaffle changed hands again and was carried all the way to the other side of the pitch, giving her a small break. She allowed herself a quick glance into the stands, where she found Rowan sitting with Willow and Ash. Was he watching her? Beatrix frowned when she saw he was not, but then his head turned in her direction. Her face lit up, and she had to stop herself from waving.
Aleydis continued her systematic search for the snitch, thinking she probably didn't have much time left to find it. She expected the whistle to sound at any moment, and yet it didn't. Suddenly, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see the snitch darting erratically through the air. Aleydis took off after it, with the opposing seeker quick to follow.
Franciscus immediately redirected his efforts to stop his sister from catching the snitch. Under normal circumstances, he would get in trouble for hitting her, but he could hit her all he wanted in a Quidditch match. Not that he didn't like Aleydis or that they fought very often, of course. He zoomed over to a bludger and gave it a hard whack, but then the whistle sounded, putting an end to the match.
The three Vanderbilt siblings touched down to the ground, wondering what the results of their trials would be.
Going For Chaser Again (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 11-20-13 19:09
Rubbing a darkening bruise on one forearm, Mason considers getting something to snack on from the refreshment table. The bruise is from a combination of a bludger hit and from someone bashing him with an elbow when in close quarters, both going for the rebounding quaffle after a goal attempt.
Mason had gotten the rebound, not even noticing the pain from the elbow to his arm until a little later. He'd accepted a pass and immediately went to pass as well. Throwing the quaffle he had felt a twinge on his forearm, only then realizing he'd not been on any sort of arm guards.
The spot was a little sore the rest of that match but not enough to slow Mason down or even have him noticing it all that much. Just after feeling that first twinge, his team had driven in towards the hoops. The quaffle came back to him, Mason throwing across his body, smiling broadly when the quaffle went unchecked by the keeper, passing through the hoop to put the first points of that match on the scoreboard.
When the match ended, with neither seeker catching the snitch and tied scored of 10-10, Mason had gone straightaway to his equipment bag to put on the items he'd somehow forgotten to put on. When called for his next match, Mason double checked he had everything.
A chaser on the other team got the quaffle first but soon lost it solely for not paying attention. She was busy grinning over at one set of stands, calling to some friends. Mason came up on her other side and took the quaffle from her hand before she'd even known he was there.
Mason and the other two chaser on his team rapidly worked the quaffle to the hoops where Mason's friend Boris was keeper. Boris was trying out more for the fun of it, not thinking he had what it took to be named to the team, particularly with Van Tassle wanting his old position back.
Boris held his own that time, blocking the quaffle four times in a row, as Mason and his two chaser teammates were able to get the rebound each Boris knocked it back. The fifth shot got by Boris and Mason could tell his friend was already tiring and hoping they'd all just go away for awhile.
Boris did well enough the rest of the scrimmage but not as well as the first flurry of shots that came his way. Mason got scored twice off him, the second time pure luck. That's when the bludger hit his arm in the same spot he'd been elbowed. The guard on his arm helped but the bludger hit hard and there was already a bruise forming in that spot.
The scrimmage ended three-quarters of the way through time allowed when the other team's seeker caught the snitch. Disappointed to not get to play the entire time allotted, Mason had returned to where his equipment bag was, Boris joining him soon after.
Deciding on something from the refreshment table, Mason leaves off bothering the bruise and goes to select something to snack on, hoping he's called again soon to play another match.
The Cypresses
Author: Callandra Catesby
Date: 11-21-13 05:56
The Cypresses was a surprisingly small, even - dare she say it - cute cottage on the outskirts of Bourton-on-the-Water. It did not really fit the character of its owner, but then Callandra knew that Cloris Parkinson Mockridge had originally acquired the property as part of her dowry and had kept it because land was always a good investment and the unimpressive nature of the property did lend it to discretion. It was for that latter reason that Callandra also deemed it useful. It was unlikely that anyone would think to look for her here. It wasn't Catesby land and even some of the Mockridges were unaware that this place existed.
Charms had been used to enhance that discretion. Muggles walked past the end of the lane leading to the quaint little residence built of the characteristically golden Cotswold stone, cheerfully oblivious to its presence. Not a single one of the Muggle tourists who thronged to the 'Venice of the Cotswolds', with its low arched bridges crossing the River Windrush that ran through the centre of the village, had ever realised that it was there.
The maintenance spells were still holding on the building though despite the lack of interest from several generations of Parkinsons, which was good since there were no house elves present to do any repairs. Callandra viewed that as a benefit at present, however. Any house elves would have owed their first loyalty to Cloris and the Parkinson family, which might have been inconvenient. It really would not do to announce her presence before she was ready. She was sure Cloris would understand, given the circumstances.
After neutralising the security spells and ensuring none raised an alarm, she'd settled in to one of the guest rooms - taking over the master bedroom had seemed a little too cheeky even for her - and set to work examining the little trinket she'd brought with her from Romania. It was quite a fascinating little artefact, much like a Chinese puzzle box in design, made of wood inlaid with amber and other semi-precious stones. And if even half of what was rumoured about its history were true... A slow smile curved her lips. The future looked to be delightfully eventful.