The school, the school, the school is on fire...

[liquidsky]

Who: Anyone who wants in on it!
What: The school is on fire.
When: Days 420 around sundown and after.
Where: The school in Odin's district.
Rating: We'll see!

The sun is slowly going down and Barty Crouch jr is in Odin's district, as he's been every day for a good while though, since he first realized how easily Will Graham fell into habits. The difference is that today he isn't headed to the cafe they always meet at right away. Instead he stands leaning against a wall, ever now and then glancing at the school and waiting for a sign. He has placed the mirror - a present from Albus Dumbledore himself - in just the right position fixed it to the corner of a building and waited for the sun to hit the reflective surface at the right angle.

Dumbledore had talked of smoke and mirrors and now Barty had found the right tinder. He waits until he can see smoke, faintly but there. It would be another hour, he suspects, maybe even more before the fire spreads far enough to be noticed. But it would burn, of that he had no doubt.

It is starting to get dark when he takes the mirror back, making sure to remain unseen, and he heads down the road to meet Will. He doesn't know if anyone is still in the building he just set on fire, he doesn't much care either way. The flames would rise high and Severus Snape would feel the heat.

[OOC Notes: I purposefully set this up like an event log, so just like for them, feel free to make a header comment detailing what your character is doing at any given time. If you want to do any more last minute plotting, head on over to the plotting post! Also, here is the IC post with some of what led up to this if you want to read up and/or still tag in! I backtag forever. Slowly.

If your character has been near/around/in the school before the fire started and would thus be a suspect and/or suspect other people he or she has seen, you can play that part out here too!

Times: Before the fire, during the fire, right after the fire. ...duh.
Places: The parts of the schools that will be affected are: The library, the auditorium and several classrooms as well as Evy's office.
Obviously you can also have your character be outside the school or in the hallways or any unaffected part if they want to use the chaos to, I don't know, mess up Snape's office a little.

I just ask that no one saw Barty do what he did, so we can have more fun with various suspicions cast about.]

Comments

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

I don't believe you. You'd do just about anything to get people afrai-

[He turns his head towards the sound of footsteps, ears twitching at the slight scrape of metal. It's given him a brief moment of distraction from the battle. Probably not the best of moves, on his part, but neither was coming up here in the first place, so what are you gonna do?]

[boogerman]

I'd burn down your ridiculous skating rink first.

[Oh, hooray, distraction! Time to snatch the entire door away.]

Sorry about the floors Pitch

[eyesofwonder]

[The moment of distraction worked on both ends. There is only a few seconds of warning when the footsteps stop before a very quick flash of frost races through the floor. (YES BUNNY. MISSING YOU. Be happy.) It may be fragile enough not to hold anyone in place but it's more than enough to make footing a harder task.

The one who isn't the least affected? The Santa holding both blades at the ready. North glares and enters the room as quickly as he can.]

Bunny! Get back!

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[It's a testament to how long they have fought together, that Bunny responds to the command without thinking. Just about noticing the door has been removed from his person, he rolls out of the way. He pulls out his remaining boomerang as he skids across the floor, stopping just to the right of North, boomerangs spinning in his paw, ready for action.]

[boogerman]

[Two of them now. That's one boomerang and two swords to face down, and his back is too the wall. Rushing them would be a disaster, so he'll let them come to him instead.]

[eyesofwonder]

[North grits his teeth. He was going to have a long "talk" with Bunny over confronting enemies from home without backup later. Instead, North draws his swords close, his boots letting him pace into the icy patch on the floor.

North heard Bunny's voice in the hall. It's all the insinuation North needs for the frustration that has only been building since Pitch's arrival. He won't aim to kill Pitch, no point in that, just make his point and grab Bunny out of here.

North rushes forward, raising one of his blades to strike at the boogeyman.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[And Bunny will no doubt ignore most of the talk, too.

He bounds after North, not willing to lose his only boomerang, but preparing himself to head in there with some kicks once North has done his thing. Complex machine of teamwork, and all that.]

[boogerman]

[North is slow, and predicable, and they've had so many fights. They're all old. He parries North's sword away, in defense mode and not focusing on fighting back at all. Too risky. He'll have to use his new shadows to trip them up.]

You're both madmen and there are witnesses. The whole building can hear you!

[eyesofwonder]

[Somehow, North was fully expecting the entire conversation to go in one ear and out the other. It has happened any other time North decides to mention it...

The shadows might be a wise idea. North's blades may be predictable but they are reliable. Pitch's blade intercepts North's sword, thrusting it away from the target. However, the other blade begins to strike just as quickly - not aiming for a blow but to create an opening. With Pitch's swords busy defending itself from North, it leaves room for another certain long-eared rabbit to try to land a blow.

North glares - still infuriated after spending so much time removing the flames of a ruined building. North's voice now is firm, angry and loud.]

And I have told you to stay away from the children. First the girl and now this!

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Bunny leaves the talking for North and Pitch, instead taking his opportunity while that sword is out of the way. He's still not sure how powerful he even is now, but he doesn't much care. Pitch is a target he is more than wiling to damage by any means needed.

And so, he leaps, turning mid air to aim those big and now very strong legs at Pitch's side.]

[boogerman]

It. Was. Not. Me!

[He's losing, and how. Bunny's kicks just barely miss giving him another whack on the head. Barely.]

[So, time to bring in the shadows. There's enough darkness under the bed to pull out and send something hideous and buglike flying at the two idiots. He's had enough practice in his long life that it hardly takes concentration.]

[eyesofwonder]

[North is paying no heed to Pitch’s words. Already the Guardian is too caught in their earlier fights. The anger, the sniping, the ignored warnings, Sandy, the fairies, Jamie, Alice…There is no chance North believes him now.

Instead, North draws back with his blades raised. He’s had far too much experience with shadows to not feel when one is coming. When the dark figure dashes out from under the bed (how every fitting), North’s sword already strikes to meet it.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Bunny slides to the other side of the room, already beating back any shadows his way, fighting off towards Pitch. To bring him down, for however long they are able.]

[boogerman]

[Two more shadows fly out, one from each side of the room and both clawed monsters directed at North. As for the rabbit, he'll have to fend off Pitch's sword by himself. He's counting on this last ditch distraction to get Bunnymund, badly enough that they both bugger off.]

[eyesofwonder]

[The ice still encasing the floor helps matters. With blades in hand and more than enough practice working on the ice now, North slides in the direction of one of the clawed shadows. Ducking quickly to avoid its blow while swinging the blade upwards – aiming for a good hit. The other blade is held in defense, holding close to North's body and facing the direction of the other shadow.

However, North hasn't lived this long without learning a thing or two about fighting this particular spirit. Never keep your eyes off of him – There's a very good reason he lets Tooth and Bunny handle speaking to Pitch during a crisis. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spots Pitch's move.]

Bunny! Think fast!

[AKA Don't get killed while I deal with these two.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Bunny's ears swivel to North's voice, at his command, and automatically, he leaps out of the way, landing heavily on one of the shadow creatures with all his newfound strength.

He hopes that at least makes a dent in the damn thing.]

[boogerman]

[Poof, both living shadows gone. He has just enough energy to summon up one more, a large black raven shaped shadow, launching itself at the two enemies. A moment later he's trying to scramble out the door, past North and Bunny. There's a flash of something golden around his neck...]

[eyesofwonder]

[Instincts, years spent combating against the fear in the Dark Ages, are on full blast. North reacts without thinking.

Moving away as the shadows disappeared, North leaps forward (and strangely not slipping on the ice as he does - living in a Ice Rink does have its uses it seems). He slashes upward and digs his blade deep into the shadow's wings. Hopefully, it will give Bunny enough of an opening for his new found space because North is already using slipping away. He spins out from the gap he created with his last strike to dart behind it - heading straight for Pitch.

He races forward and moves his blade to strike - not even noticing the small flash of gold so near where his blade is attempting to strike.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Bunny certainly does use the space he's been given, racing off after North, boomerangs at the ready, following
in Pitch's trail. ]

[boogerman]

[He's almost into the hallway when he's struck on the neck, although he's moving and it's not a killing cut... but the chain and locket clink to the floor.]

[And he sees it. He doesn't pick it up.]

[What he does is scream as if he's been murdered, full of rage and pain, and all but throw himself at North, attacking like he doesn't care if he lives or dies. He's snapped.]

[eyesofwonder]

[North has only a moment to finally notice the locket tumbling to the floor and the severed chain before Pitch lets out that scream.

Caught off guard, North barely had time to raise his sword in defense. Pitch was acting in a manner North had not seen in recent memory. Wild and furious to the point of recklessness. Even while losing his nightmares during the fight back home, the spirit had always been careful to maintain a slight distance in between attacks. Yet now, Pitch was striking relentlessly away, yelling as if North's blade had struck him deeply.

...All this for a locket? (And where did Pitch even get it? North had never seen it before today.) Unnerved as North was, he did not like the direction this battle was taking. They needed to get out of here.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Looks like we hit a new level of agro with him.

[Bunny reaches out to grab North's arm.] We need to get out of here. We're not going to win this one, not with him like this.

[eyesofwonder]

Move for door. I will keep him busy until then.

[North may not believe in the “not going to win this one” (they are Guardians and will fight Pitch as long as necessary) but now wasn't the time to test it. They've demonstrated their “stay away from the children and the school” point and Bunny was unscathed. Despite North's own anger, the shock of the broken locket was finally sunk in the idea that things were moving out of control. Better to retreat now while Pitch's attentions were...off.]

[boogerman]

[He's not listening to a word they're saying, slashing away in his berserk rage. Get out get out getoutgetoutgetout, he'd scream, if he had the breath.]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[For once, Bunny doesn't argue, heading for the door, he stays just in the doorway, though, waiting.]

Norh, come on!