Barbara Torch resents your victory

Your ENEMY resents your victory. CONFRONT YOUR ENEMY.
Gain +1 XP. You now have 5 XP.
You may spend 5 XP and use Advancement

Your wand seems to guide itself as you snap off one DEFLECT after another, redirecting the Warden's STUN and DISARM, until you nearly catch an AD NAUSEAM. An icy chill flashes up your spine and you throw a STUN back. Seeing an opening, you repeat your attacks, putting the Warden on defense. You sense Barbara Torch shifting tactics and pre-empt her with a DAZZLE that lets you sidestep and catch her with a GONG. The Warden's hands fly to her aching, ringing head, and you end it with a DISARM, sending her wand clattering away over the stone flooring of the bathing chamber.

"Call it, Fay," you say.

"Duel to Morgan Woodbine," Fay says, her voice faint and trembling. "Shit, what possessed you, Morgan?"

Your wand was hot today. No, not your wand. Your wand is hazel. The wand in your hand is a weighty, silver-tipped ebony instrument. The wand you found in Iris Amethystine's tower, down the drainpipe.

Oh.

The Warden turns to Golondrina. "Miss Redmoor?"

"Yes?" Lolo says.

"Dress. Get to class," the Warden says.

Golondrina dresses and leaves, never taking her eyes off the Warden.

The Warden fixes her gaze on you.

"That is not your wand, Woodbine," she says. "You face serious consequences for using a forbidden instrument against a member of Boarbristle's senior staff." She takes a breath, curls her fingers, and apports her own wand without a word. "Not to forget the question of dueling honor."

Roll +(HOUSE TRAIT, CUNNING)(+2) to CONFRONT YOUR ENEMY.

⚀⚃ + 2 = 7.

On a 7-9, you have a tense encounter. GET OUT OF TROUBLE.

"Warden," you say. "You framed the challenge. I claim a hearing before my House."

"Put that device down upon the ground and step back," the Warden says.

Fay has melted into the shadows, as much as a plump, naked, moon-pale witch can do. But she's doing something, you can tell.

"Woodbine, I will not ask again," Barbara Torch says. You feel the tickle of unseen forces. Discretion, valor, whatever.

You bend your knees and gently place the ebony wand upon the ground. With a twitch of her dueling wand, the Warden apports it and takes it in her gloved off hand.

"Warden, you are in the wrong," you say.

"You are hardly one to judge, Woodbine," she says.

"I rely on House Minerval to judge," you say.

Roll +AMBITION(+2) to GET OUT OF TROUBLE

⚁⚅ + 2 = 10.

You almost wished you hadn't. A full afternoon of grilling from Tutor Hawk, Housemaster Whiplash, and finally Wardress Euryale -- most creepily, since you remember nothing other than strange distortions of your senses -- you are left to dangle.

"You look like they ran you through the mangle," Fay says. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I mean, I still don't know. I suppose 'Dismissed, Woodbine' is good?" you say.

Fay sniffs. "If it's any consolation, they've done with whatever was happening in the baths. Come on."

Fay takes you firmly by the hand and leads you to House Minerval's proper baths, where you would have been instead of in the little bath behind the main laundry.

"You know Dorothy was asking after you?" Fay says.

You're not alone, but the other bathers are mostly soaking in the moist heat or performing physically mediated meditations.

"She was?" you say.

"Dorothy was alarmed at all the fireworks and peeped in. She said she was on the edge of calling for, well, she wasn't exactly sure, and she was clutching a great basket of laundry that she thought she might have to throw to break things up," Fay says.

The image of Warden Torch buried underneath a vast willow basket of sheets and towels tickles your fancy, and a giggle wells up inside.

Fay pokes you. "Keep up, Morgan, it was hardly funny to Dorothy. If she was worried..." Fay shakes her head, splashing you with droplets from her hair. "Dorothy doesn't spook easily." Fay grimaces at you. "After you left with Torch, I was puking in the corner. Not just from catching a near miss from Warden's nasty spell. If you get yourself expelled...shit, if you get yourself killed, I don't know what's left for me here."

"Lolo," you say.

Slow fat tears are flowing from Fay's eyes, leaving traces from her red-rimmed eyes down to her chin. "Sure," Fay says. "Lolo is a nice girl. Sweet and strong and wonderful. But she isn't you."

"Fay," you say. The tears are contagious.

"She isn't even the same girl to me, without you," Fay says. "I love her through your eyes more than my own." She takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh. "And Lolo's going to fly away one day." She holds up her little fingernail, where the apple-and-honeysuckle design bespeaks Applebum and Woodbine. "You're the only one I want to fly away with."

You're aware of curious attention from other bathers, but it's hardly uncommon for Minerval's scholars to cry in the baths, alone or in pairs. Perhaps even your instructors, but they bathe elsewhere and hide their tears.

You cradle Fay, rocking with her back and forth as you cry together, bleeding your hurts and fears from your eyes.

Spend 5 XP for Advancement to gain +1 Diligence.

You have Ambition +2, Bravery -1, Cunning +2, Diligence +1.
You know the spell TRANSFORM and the Forbidden Spell SHAMEGASM

You have an EASY GOAL (-1) vs. DILIGENCE with Wardress Euryale to prepare Iris Amethystine's Tower for you, Fay, and Golondrina to share. Take +1 Forward to Achieve your Goal from your investigation that discovered a mysterious wand.

Roll +DILIGENCE(+1) (-1 Easy Goal, +1 Diligence, +1 Forward) to try and ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.

⚁⚀ + 1 = 4, Miss.

Keep the GOAL. Roll +CUNNING(+2) to ENCOUNTER Wardress Euryale at -1.

⚂⚁ + 2 = 7.

"I had expected better of you, Morgan," the Wardress says. A couple of brown snake heads peep out from behind her veil, flickering their tongues at you. "We may have to find different accommodations if you are struggling with completing a banishment of the Tower." She pauses. "Describe how and where things went wrong."

The Wardress interrupts you before you complete your account. "You are tired," she says, sounding surprised. Perhaps that isn't something Euryale thinks of much. She's Minerval's Wardress, not the Tutor, so scholars are more objects of risk, calculation, and management to her, and less so persons to be practiced, instructed, and evaluated. "That was your difficulty. Rest. We will repeat the exercise when you are ready."

"Oh," you say. "Thank you, Wardress."

Euryale turns and leaves you at Amethystine's Tower, holding your wand -- your hazel one, not the mysterious ebony wand. It's still warm to the touch from your energetic, diligent banishings.

That night, lying beside Fay, you wonder if it's been worth it. Then you touch Golondrina's memories of soaring on her own wings. It is. It's not so hard to try again.

After you rest.

Fay's soft snores pause, and she rolls over. "Titty," she murmurs.

She's dreaming of you.

You have Ambition +2, Bravery -1, Cunning +2, Diligence +1.
You know the spell TRANSFORM and the Forbidden Spell SHAMEGASM

You have a FAVOR from Pipistrelle Clawson, Minerval Prefect.
Your roommate Fay in House Minerval and your soon-to-be roommate Golondrina are each your FRIEND.
Barbara Torch, Warden of Leontes, dramatic and impulsive duelist, is your ENEMY.

Possible next moves:

• Try try again. Roll +DILIGENCE(+0) (-1 Easy Goal, +1 Diligence) to grit it out.
• Enlist Pip's help. Use her FAVOR to attempt to ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. Roll +DILIGENCE(+2) (+1 Diligence, -1 Easy Goal, +2 FAVOR).
• Encounter Golondrina to ASK FOR A FAVOR to help meet your GOAL. Roll +CUNNING(+4) (+2 CUNNING, +2 FRIEND) to ENCOUNTER her, then +AMBITION to ASK FOR A FAVOR.
• Ask the Wardress or the Tutor if you may use the ebony wand you found in Amethystine's Tower. Roll +CUNNING(+2) to ENCOUNTER her, and on a 7+, roll +AMBITION to ASK FOR A FAVOR. Use the FAVOR to try and ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.
• Talk to Dorothy. Roll +CUNNING(+2) to ENCOUNTER her and ask her what she thought of the duel. Perhaps you'll learn something. Then go back to your GOAL. Dorothy has done a lot of facilities work, so she might be helpful with the Tower.
• Something completely different?