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xiulan zhou
OTHER SCHOOLING ALUM FORTUNE TELLER DIVINATION MASTERY CLAIRVOYANT PROPHET
175 posts
played by Audrey
That fancy wine won't put this fire out.
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last online Feb 29, 2024 11:54:29 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Nov 23, 2020 12:54:38 GMT -7
Post by xiulan zhou on Nov 23, 2020 12:54:38 GMT -7
March 2005 The Lin Sòng, China "Zhou Xiulan, Hong Ambrosia. You know the rules. Please begin."
Instead of desks facing the front of the classroom, there was nothing but empty space. It was a routine to which Xiulan Zhou had become accustomed, standing across from one of the only other pupils in the entire school. The rules, as they had been established in Xiulan's mind, were thus: Short of dying at another student's hand or committing murder, the goal was to remain alive and fighting, whatever the cost. Ambrosia was a formidable opponent, one to whom Xiulan didn't feel evenly matched. Perhaps she had been when they had first begun their studies, back when everything was about theory and not practice. A few years in, and it was apparent to Xiulan that her Inner Eye was a liability more than it was an asset. The Lin Sòng didn't care about what she saw or didn't see. It wasn't advantageous in a duel to find herself writhing on the floor, yet that had happened a handful of times over the years.
"Yes, Li Laoshi," Xiulan nodded deferentially. In accordance with proper dueling etiquette, she locked eyes with and then bowed before the slightly older girl, her opponent more often than her friend. For as few students as there were at the small school, they weren't encouraged to interact with one another, even within their own year levels. No, it was everyone for themselves at the end of the day, provided that they did not lose sight of their respect for their elders and the institution. Xiulan held her wand tightly at her side, already feeling her palm beginning to moisten with a cold sweat.
@ambrosia OOC: Translation - "laoshi" is "teacher" in Mandarin.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 5:46:52 GMT -7
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Dec 7, 2020 13:13:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2020 13:13:20 GMT -7
Dueling was not Ambrosia's forte. Nor was this flamboyant posturing their teachers demanded of them. Pitting the students against each other. Not that Ambrosia minded being pitted against her fellow students. She just didn't like the unwanted attention. Her family name along brought enough attention. No, Ambrosia preferred to strike when it most suited her, invisible until that moment came. But that was a Hong trait, she supposed. The family was infamous for it's masterful manipulations from the shadows. Keeping their hands clean and letting others do their dirty work.
Today though, she'd been ordered to duel Xiulan. Xiulan was a year younger then Ambrosia, not that ages mattered much at the Lin Sòng once you got out of the theory classes. No, age was just a number to them. It didn't matter that Ambrosia was 16, and Xiulan 15. As the teacher ordered them to begin, Ambrosia hardly blinked, staring intensely at the younger girl. Despite not being the best dueler, Ambrosia knew she could beat Xiulan. Because, to be honest? All was fair in these duels. Lengths Ambrosia was willing to go that Xiulan wasn't. Xiulan had a stronger moral compass then the Hong.
She bowed, just the slightly movement, again, never looking away or even blinking, her own wand in hand, casually twirling between her fingers. "You look nervous, Xiulan," she said, almost mocking. She didn't feel like striking first, instead seeing if she could rattle her opponent as she started to slowly circle. Like a predator eyeing it's prey. "Did you have another vision? Did you lose in it?"
(Unless stated otherwise, Ambrosia's only speaking in Mandarin )
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xiulan zhou
OTHER SCHOOLING ALUM FORTUNE TELLER DIVINATION MASTERY CLAIRVOYANT PROPHET
175 posts
played by Audrey
That fancy wine won't put this fire out.
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last online Feb 29, 2024 11:54:29 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Dec 8, 2020 12:01:09 GMT -7
Post by xiulan zhou on Dec 8, 2020 12:01:09 GMT -7
March 2005 The Lin Sòng, China Ambrosia would have had enough time to fire at her already, although she took the opportunity to taunt her instead. "You look nervous, Xiulan," she observed, beginning to circle around her. Xiulan's eyes followed her movements, and she turned a little to keep an eye on what Ambrosia was doing. "Did you have another vision?" asked Ambrosia. "Did you lose in it?"
Xiulan didn't want her Inner Eye to see anything. She didn't want to entertain the thought that it might. Even if she would happen to foresee her own win, she didn't want it to influence her. She didn't want to be seen as weak, but she knew how rare it was for her to emerge the victor in any of these duels. If only she could have predicted her opponents' every last move, then maybe she would have had a different track record, but she didn't have the reflexes. Xiulan wasn't a pushover, and neither was she gullible, but she could only hold her own for so long.
She didn't want to hurt anyone, though she had learned to put that much aside. What happened at the school stayed there, but she wouldn't have been able to survive the harshness of the discipline there had she been truly fragile. Ambrosia might have been older; she might have known how to get under her skin, but Xiulan was still armed. Instead of dignifying Ambrosia's jeers with comments of her own, she held out her wand as firmly as she could and kept it pointed towards Ambrosia. Quickly, she shot a Disarming Charm in her direction. It was hardly an original move, but it was the first thing that she could think of to buy herself some time. "Expelliarmus!"
@ambrosia
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last online Mar 28, 2024 5:46:52 GMT -7
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Feb 22, 2021 13:19:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2021 13:19:00 GMT -7
Xiulan didn't respond to her taunts. Shame. Ambrosia liked to make people squirm. To make them uncomfortable, or aggravated. Liked to get a reaction out of them. Almost like how a cat would play with anything it could catch. Not killing it immediately but toying with it for it's own sadistic pleasure. Though only a teenager, Ambrosia had many cruel traits. Traits her grandmother had instilled in her. She had responsibilities she would have to carry one day, and images to uphold. She would be the next head of the Hong Family, once her father passed. Though that likely wouldn't be for many, many years, she still had to carry herself as the heir. Still had to the pride of the Hong family.
Xiulan struck first, calling out a disarming spell. Rather then block it, Ambrosia quickly side stepped, letting the spell pass mere inches from her. Ambrosia smirked. "You should really work on your aim," she taunted. "Come on, be a bit more creative. You think disarming someone is going to do much in the real world?" She started her circling again, still not moving to cast her own spells anymore. It was her standard dueling practice. Taunting and tormenting the opponent, and only striking when she felt she could get a spell in that wouldn't be blocked or avoided.
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xiulan zhou
OTHER SCHOOLING ALUM FORTUNE TELLER DIVINATION MASTERY CLAIRVOYANT PROPHET
175 posts
played by Audrey
That fancy wine won't put this fire out.
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last online Feb 29, 2024 11:54:29 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Feb 22, 2021 20:08:03 GMT -7
Post by xiulan zhou on Feb 22, 2021 20:08:03 GMT -7
March 2005 Xiulan had learned how most of the other students at the Lin Sóng thought. They were competitive; they were fiercely competitive, and many of them would stop at nothing to prove that they were the best. In many ways, they had little choice. They had to remain tough, or they would break mentally and physically. It would have been easy enough to do, even without dueling. Their teachers showed them little mercy, though their claims were that they were doing what they were doing for the students' improvement.
Ambrosia was the stronger duelist of the two of them, though Xiulan hated how easily she was able to step to the side to avoid being disarmed. That was embarrassing for her, Xiulan knew, because she hadn't really shown skill with that choice to begin with. And then Ambrosia had avoided it as though she hadn't cast a thing. She continued to taunt her, telling her that she needed to work on her aim and that she needed to be more creative. "You think disarming someone is going to do much in the real world?"
In the real world, at least, she might be bought at least a little bit more time than she would have had otherwise, Xiulan thought. No one wanted to lose their wand for good, so retrieving it would be enough of a distraction for her opponent. As Ambrosia went back to circling around her as though she were some sort of vermin, Xiulan could feel her anger growing. She knew that the older girl wanted to torment her even more, though prolonging the duel by not casting any spells would only make it worse for the both of them.
Trying to come up with something more "creative" like Ambrosia wanted, Xiulan pushed air from her nostrils and watched Ambrosia's movements carefully. If she wanted this spell to hit with the right accuracy, she would have to time it just right—and make sure that Ambrosia was left with as little time to react as possible. Quickly, then, Xiulan went for it. Although tempted to try it out non-verbally so that she wouldn't give Ambrosia the benefit of hearing the incantation, Xiulan thought the better of it.
"Densaugeo!"
@ambrosia
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