The hunt R.O.A.M EVENT

Rowan knew this was not his strong suit the moment the professor mentioned speed.  This wouldn't be fun, this would be frustrating and unrewarding. Unless... 

The other kids ran past the male in the wheelchair most likely, excited by the mention of a prize. All he needed to do was think about this. Running at them and frightening them would be a futile task. They would try to get as far away from the scary big creature as possible. Though they were caged in. So they would likely be around the edges of the area, and most likely on the walls and such. Okay. He had location. Where from there though? They were cold blooded so... They would want to get as warm and safe as possible. Sun beams were usually where it was at. Though he was also warm. And scary, to the creatures, so it wouldn't just be as easy as rolling over and grabbing it off the wall. It would be gone in an instant. 

Though wasn't there a myth or something that if you stayed still with birds and held seeds, they would eventually land on you arm or something? Who knew. Though he was warm and if he stayed still... Maaaaybe they would come to him eventually.

It was both a childish and most likely idiotic theory, however it was his best bet. He didn't have any snacks that would appeal to the creatures... hmm... As he rolled over to the edge of the enclosure, picking a sunny little spot, he searched through his bag.

At the bottom sat a collection of various potion supplies consisting of various bug parts and even worms. Would they eat that? Who knew. Animals seemed to always be in search of food though, so he took some of the beetles, spider legs, and earthworms into his hand, holding the items in his lap before he simply held still, looking around at the various children running around, attempting to hunt the creatures.

Griffith was talking about their mission, and Elena was listening intently, nothing in the books she'd read had given her any idea how to catch them, but that was fine. Who needs actual knowledge when you have trial and error?

Elena looked around, Rowan was already here, so she waved at him. He seemed to have an idea about bribing the mokes, clever. The Slytherin was feeling an idea form in her mind, she was warm, quite warm, in fact. The mokes were cold-blooded so would seek out warmth, warmth that Elena had.

The girl brushed her cloak back off her shoulders, so she had more of her body open to the air, then approached about six metres from a moke she could see, then sat down, sitting very still and hoping the gambit would pay off, and the moke would just treat her as another rock to sit on, just a much warmer rock.

Here she was. Her first R.O.A.M. event. Nico was excited, curious and cold. Well, not THAT cold. As always, she had worn her trusty social armor: her big fluffy scarf. Not only did she wear it to endure social situations, but also the cold. Her mother had made it in a soft fabric in the signature colors of the Slytherin house. It felt pleasant, warm, cosy and safe. She listened carefully when the Professor explained their next task.

To catch one of those fast, shrinky lizards. Mokes. As he spoke about them, Nico observed one from a distance. They looked pretty. Almost like a regular lizard except they had an exceptional green-silver colored skin. 'Amazing...'She whispered, more to herself than anyone else. When Professor Griffith gave the sign to start the task at hand, Nico didn't move immediately. She watched where the lizards were to then pick her chosen-one.

She crouched down at the side of the paddock. There's no way that she could just walk in and run after one. That was a no go. Hm... The professor did mention they get energy from warmth and heat. She looked down at her scarf, breathing out small clouds of warm air. 'Maybe...' She thought and carefully made her way into the paddock. As if she tried her best to not make any noise, Nico tippytoed to one of the lizards in the far corner of the paddock. There weren't any students there, it gave her room to think and to act. Eyes on her target, Nico slowely crouched down again. Sinking onto her knees. 'Okey so... what if i...' She muttered softly. Running won't work. She hadn't been the type to chase down creatures. They had their own minds and will. And she didn't want to disrespect those. The lizard, that sat away a fair distance of her, looked graceful. Like a tiny dragon...

After some staring Nico snapped out of it. She had to think, not stare. Rude.

She slowely, took off her scarf. It was warm, like a birds nest. Before she shaped it into a bowl on the ground, Nico breathed out some more warm air inside of it. It should stay while for a bit now. Steady and patiently, she put the bowlscarf abit infront of her. Would this work... Would the tiny reptile feel attracted to this obvious trap? She'd have to wait and see...

{ Mentions Elena & Nico }

Serena was not one hundred percentage she could trust Professor Griffith. Of course she wasn't. She trusted her former Head of House, Solomon Lear, blindly. Now that she was questioning that loyalty, everyone who worked for him was suspicious. Nonetheless, she decided to come after they exchanged owls and he guaranteed that there were no shadows out to try and kill everyone.

The Hufflepuff read the letter once more before stashing it into her bag. She took out her pair of gloves from the bag, that he had instructed her to bring. Serena was already wearing the running shoes that he suggested. She was dressed in a pair of running shoes, blue jeans, a t-shirt and an open hoodie on top of it.

Once she arrived, she looked around to spot a few familiar faces. She did not know everyone there but she recognised a few. Nico was there, which gave Serena another reason for being here. Even if Griffith lied, even if there were shadows here trying to kill people, Serena needed to be here to protect Nico... Looking around, she spotted a blue haired girl [ELENA] that she recalled meeting before. A frown appeared on her face as she tried to register where she had met her and why she looked familiar. It took her a few moments to recall that they had met at one of the Oktoberfest costume events.

Griffith explained the task - catching mokes, it seemed. Both the girls she recognised went into solo action mode. Serena was actually one for team work but she was not sure she would be good company. So instead, she just moved her bag strap around her shoulder, tightening the strap so it clunk closely to her. Ensuring her gloves were properly on, Serena decided to walk towards the lizard like creatures.

From a distance, she quietly observed them. Then she decided to get onto the ground, crawling up to the nearest one to see what happened if she approached it and simply reached for it slowly and quietly with her gloves. She knew it wouldn't work, to be honest. It could not be that easy. But she wanted to see what happened and how they would react before getting too involved.

@Rowan Bane You sit there, and one of the lizards smells something. It looks your way, and takes a couple of steps forward, but nothing more.

@Elena Jones So far, no takers. The mokes keep their distance, some of them thinking about napping. One of them moves away from you.

@Nico Shymane A moke looks at the scarf placed on the ground, but doesn't really have the energy to go to the meager heat source. The mokes shift further away.

@Serena Towers The moke doesn't show any reaction until Serena's hand gets to be within an inch or so. If she quickly grabs, her hands will close around the moke successfully, before it shrinks down to a size too small to be held in a fist. You can try to contain the moke somehow, as it is, assuming she did try and grab it, in her hands. However, bear in mind that it is incredibly fast, and smaller than a bug.

Doors are still open

Well, for once Rowan had patience. Now mind you, not out of choice, but necessity. He was already getting bored. Though his eye was drawn towards one of the small creatures who had stepped towards him. Interesting. Because of this little movement, he had some hope, and continued to wait. 

The sun glared in his eyes though, and it was quite annoying. He had to look away from the creature who had taken interest, so he wouldn't go blind. Though it looked that there would be new entertainment as one of the students had actually went for the 'just grab it' method.

A tiny smile formed on Rowan's lips. Elena had waved to him though he was already preoccupied so he didn't wave back, lest he lose what little progress he had gained. Hey, it was better than nothing. 

Mentions Serena

Her chosen-one didn't seem to be keen into getting involved with her scarf. Maybe it did look kinda scary. Nico sighed softly, trying to think of something else. Maybe a spell? Nah. She didn't know any that could maybe ignite a tiny fire or any source of heat. All her spells were pretty much defensive charms and... one quite strong spell. She shook her head lightly, trying to get ride of the memory of the Gryffindor boy she smacked into a goalpole earlier. Regrets. Many... many regrets.

Alright, focus. Her eyes gazed at the lizard that chose to scoot abit further from her. 'Fine, have it your way..' Nico let out a giggle under her breath. These Mokes were precious. 'Oh...' An idea popped in her head, one that probably seemed stupid. Impossible. A gamble.

Should she... try and sing a song. Not too loud... The Slytherin didn't really know why but why not give it a go. She carefully peeked over her shoulder, watching what the other students were up to. She saw one familiar face that made her eyes lit up. Serena. She couldn't wait to catch up with the Huffelpuff later but first... Looking back at the Moke, Nico already felt embarassed thinking about trying this. Why would they be attracted to a voice, a sound... Slowely, she carefully moved her knees a few cm forward. Just a tad closer. Nothing intimidating. Just close enough that she felt comfortable with only slightly raising her voice. She closed her eyes and softly started to sing a song... One she made up. About how shimmery and shiny the Mokes looked. All good stuff.

This seemed like a mistake, but why not try... She wasn't in a hurry either way.

Mentions Serena Towers

When Phaedra received the announcement of an opportunity to learn more of magical creatures, she happily set aside time to attend. Lately, she hadn’t much free time for anything other than her repetitive and tedious schoolwork and had it not been for Professor Griffith hosting it she would have declined. The man seemed serious and reliable. Those made for two traits she respected and sadly did not see enough from a majority of the school administration. Far too many were too comfortable harassing or throwing children into danger. No longer would she subject herself to it.

The meeting place was the back entrance. She walked through while stuffing her hands into gloves and noticed that some students were already there. Turning her head, she could see the form of Serena, the former Head Girl. The Hufflepuff was someone who Phaedra went way back with, but they had not talked cordially in practically forever. She stood to the side and listened to Griffith instead.

As Griffith explained the task, she focused to avoid making herself seem foolish later on. Catching mokes reminded her of the days when she and her eldest sister would try to catch butterflies. The key was patience and gentleness— whenever successful, one would land in one’s palm for a moment before fluttering off. The Moke, however, was obviously much more difficult to catch than a butterfly among wildflowers. The latter did not shrink nor had they any limbs to sprint off at the sight of danger. As far as she knew, she never heard of mokes at risk of endangerment. Survival of the fittest, she supposed.

Griffith eventually released the group to work. Taking slow, cautious steps she made her way to a bright green moke, staying several feet back to prevent it from running off. The girl had a fleeting thought of what she could name it but realised that wasn’t what was most important. Stumped, she held her gaze on the scaly thing, at a total lost on how to proceed. At a distance, everyone else apparently struggling made her feel a tad better. A hint on how to catch them would have been nice, but she was confident she could manage it... eventually.

Phaedra took her bag off of her shoulder and unclasped it. She packed light for the event, with only the letter from the professor and a scarf inside. Thinking, she pulled the contents out; the parchment quickly stuffed in a pocket and her scarf thrown around her neck. Doubting her plan would work, she gave it a go anyway— with a lunge she tossed her empty bag as accurately as she could towards the animal, hoping that the hole would land on top. If it landed, she would then run and press her hands around the bag so the minuscule being couldn’t escape underneath a gap.

♫ Mentions Serena, Nico and Elena ♫

Alright, let's see the information that we had about those Mokes. They could shirk. This might be problematic, but maybe she could use this... or not. They were cold-blooded and this information was more important, maybe.

Luna didn't know if she could run fast or not. She was not the type running around to see how fast she was, and she rarely used her feet to run. In addition, if she was not wrong, the Mokes were really fast so even if she knew, she couldn't use speed to catch them. They were durable... huh? Interesting. She hadn't really known much about this Magical Creature although she had read about it before, this was a good chance to get to know them.

She would prefer finding a way to catch it with another person or a small group. More people, more chance to catch it. However, other than Elena and Nico, she didn't know any of them. Those two Slytherins... they were doing their stuff alone and didn't seem like she should go there and interrupt them. What if they missed the chance to catch because of her? She didn't want to be nice, but that didn't mean she will go and being a meanie like that. The Hufflepuff over there [Serena] seemed familiar somehow, but Luna was sure they hadn't met before. Whatever, the problem now was how to catch a Moke, not realizing if she knew people around here or not.

Oh, they were quite intelligent, weren't them? Letting out a sigh, the girl looked at her clothes. She had never really cared about cold or not cause it had never bother her, so the girl didn't wear too warm... And she couldn't use the ways those people were doing either. But to be honest, even if she could, Luna refused to copy them. It was like cheating, and she didn't want to do it.

She took out a book and her wand from her bag, it was just a small bag since she didn't bring too many things with. She just brought her wand with and left her stuff there and went back after a few minutes. She just wanted to pick up some stones, not too big but not small either. Actually, using wood was not a bad idea but she didn't want to burn her bag so... nope. Point her wand at them, the girl mumbled "Incendio" and stopped when she thought it was hot enough. Picking up the stones, she threw them to her bag. Luna did it quite fast, she didn't want her hands to be burned

After she finished, the girl picked up her bag and put it near a Moke. Stepping a few steps back, she waited to see if it was attracted by the heat in the bag.