Round One, Task Two

[BanaBatGirl]

You arrive in what looks like a cave, but the ceiling is hollowed to allow the sun to pour in and feed the plants that are growing in the vicinity: aloe, palms, holly, snargaluff, fluxweed, wood sorrel, banana, galangal, parsley, and basil. But something's wrong... an odd sound is coming from behind an aloe plant. After a few seconds, the source of the noise is revealed.

A swollen house elf, bloated from ear to ear, so much so that his closed, shut eyes wouldn't be able to reveal their color, slowly waddles out from behind the plant. His neck is swollen to the point that his vocal chords are pressed upon and the poor elf will never be able to talk.

The elf stumbles upon a large cauldron, and he seems to need to tell you something. It's too bad he cannot utter a single solitary word. What do you do?

[Ström Svensson]

As Ström entered the arena for the next task, making sure Broni was behind him, he was struck by how odd the set up was. They seemed to be in a cave of some sorts, only it didn't seem to have a ceiling....? But yet, it was definitely a cave, since he could see stalagmites rising from the floor. Interesting.

Moving further into the cave, he could hear something moaning, groaning and occasionally squeaking. "What do you think that is?"

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava followed Ström into the arena, not allowing anything but calm confidence show on her face as she walked in. She would be competing in her best subjects along with her classmates. They so had this. Though the environment was rather odd and unexpected, cave-like. She did not allow the flicker of uncertainty stay. No, she loved a challenge and would prove her worth.

Her eyes fell over the different varieties of plants, focusing on the aloe as she heard an odd noise behind it. Glancing at Ström as he spoke, she started, "I don't know. Maybe ve -" She had started to peer closer when some sort of creature came out from behind it. Was it.. ? "I zhink it's an elf," she said, staring at it oddly. The poor creature looked miserable. "Do you zhink he has had allergic reaction to one of zhese plants?" she asked, glancing up at Ström before walking over to view each individual plant. None of them appeared to be an allergen at first glance. Perhaps they had to brew a potion to counteract the effects of the swelling. She would guess that was what the cauldron was for.

[Ström Svensson]

"No idea." Ström saw the creature as soon as Broni pointed he/she out. But they didn't have the time to be too sad about it. But then his teammate said something that made sense. "Seems kind of silly to do that to an elf just for a competition. Wonder who's idea that was?"

He took a moment to think. What potion would work in this case? What plants were around? "It looks like, from the plants I see, we have to brew the Deflating Draft...."

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava frowned hearing what Ström had to say about the elf and she turned sympathetic brown eyes on the swollen creature. "I don't know. Seems a bit cruel." But she didn't have time to dwell on that. This was a competition, not to mention a timed one, and they need to figure out the task and get to work.

A Deflating Draught, exactly what she was thinking. "Yes, I agree," Bronislava began, her eyes falling over each individual plant, mentally going over the recipe for the potion and its ingredients. But something was missing. "I don't see.." She glanced back at Ström. "Zhere is no sagebrush." She turned back to the plants, then took a cautious step backwards at the sight of a certain plant, one that looked like a gnarled stump.

"I zhink I remember an alternative vay to brew it," she added, lifting her eyes from the plant. "But ve need to use that snargaluff." She looked at the dormant-for-now plant again. She was confident that she could handle it - and that Ström could too - but they'd need to be very careful and work together.

[Ström Svensson]

Exactly what he had been thinking. "So, shall try to get the pods first or wait until we get to that step?" While he was speaking, he set to uprighting the overturned cauldron and washing it out. Because, who knew what the cauldron had been used for previously and how that might react with the draft? They hadn't come all this way just to mess up now. Plus, they needed this task.

"Scourgify," he cast aiming at the cauldron. There, good and clean.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava pulled her eyes away from the plants as she heard Ström's question, thinking about it for mere seconds before coming to a decision. "I zhink we should vait until ve reach zhat step." Or at least they could get the water boiling first. The potion needed a bit of time for that so they could harvest the pods while they waited.

She glanced over at her teammate again, watching as he prepared the cauldron. Excellent first step. They could not afford anything to go wrong with their potion and needed a clean first step; she nodded her approval. Once it was clean, she pointed her wand inside. "I vill get zhe vater started.. Aguamenti!" She watched as the stream of water from the tip of her wand began filling the cauldron, then stopped the flow once there appeared to be about 500 milliliters. "Finite!"

"So, ve need to boil the vood sorrel for ten minutes, right?" She mentioned to
Ström more as speaking their steps aloud than really asking him. This was a relatively simple potion, minus the alternative revision they had to complete today. She knew her steps. Bronislava pointed her wand at the base of the cauldron, lighting the burner. "Incendio!" As the water began heating up, she grabbed a handful of the wood sorrel, still keeping an eye on the snargaluff, then walked over and tossed the wood sorrel into the cauldron. She poked the plant down into the water with her wand to make sure it was completely submerged then lifted her eyes to Ström.

"Alright.. ve let zhat boil for ten minutes, zhen ve add zhe snargaluff pods." She looked back at the dangerous plant. "I suppose ve should harvest it now." She took a few steps closer to it until she was standing right in front of it, her wand still drawn and never taking her eyes off of it. "Vould you like to do it and I'll assist? Or other vay around?" It didn't matter to her either way, but they did need to have both of them acting as a team to get it done or it could really be dangerous.

[Ström Svensson]

Everything was running smoothly. Great. Show those Hogwartians how potions are done.

Ström watched as Broni added the water and set the wood sorrel to boiling, not replying other then a nod of the head when she started speaking the steps aloud. But at the Snargaluff question, he started pulling out the gloves he'd stuffed in his pocket and gave them a good Scourgify. "I'll do it." In the interest of taking turns, of course. Not some sort of misplaced sense of chivalry or anything.

He approached the plant slowly, carefully and gave a tenticle a tug.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava gave Ström a curt nod as he offered to retrieve the pods from the plant. She knew the plant would most likely just attack anyone in the vicinity so it didn't matter to her who attempted the harvest. They would both equally be in potential peril.

She watched as he approached the snargaluff and she took a defensive step backward to allow him room and to position herself better toward off the expected attack. She held her wand out, pointed at the plant as her teammate set to work. As he reached for it, she kept her eyes trained for any type of movement. "Once zhe vines shoot out of zhe top, quickly put your hand in the hole to pull out each pod. And I vill fend off zhe attack." She felt it best, especially with this tricky part of the task, to keep talking out their steps to each other, just so the other knew what they were doing. That would make them more efficient, she hoped, and they could get it done quickly, safely, and properly.

And now, to wait for the inevitable spiky vines. Wand at the ready.

[Ström Svensson]

"All right. Ready?" And then the vines shot out. Ström quickly shoved his arm into the hole in the center of the Snargaluff, where the hole closed around it. "Hurry!" he called out to Broni in between hits from the vines. Did he mention that they hurt? Because they did. Bad. Like being hit with a fiery whip.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava waited, her eyes alert and her wand ready, as Ström moved in for the harvest. Hurry? She already had her wand pointed. "Immobulus.. Immobulus.. Immobulus!" she cried repeatedly as she directed her wand at the base of each vine, hoping to freeze them in place and stave off the attack against her and her teammate.

She stepped closer and dug the fingers of her non-wand hand into the edge of the hole closed tightly around her teammates arm, trying to pull it open enough to allow Ström to retrieve the pod. Her other hand still gripping her wand to defend against the vines if needed. "Pull out zhe pod.. ve need two for zhis potion." She tore her eyes away for only a few seconds to glance at the cauldron. Good. The water was just beginning to boil. She checked her watch for reference before turning back to Ström and the snargaluff.

[Ström Svensson]

Okay, that instruction was unneeded. But instead of commenting on it, Ström just swiftly pulled his arm from the hole that was now loosening and placed the pod in the now boiling water. Whew. Pod number two, coming right up.

He silently and quickly grabbed the vines of another snargaluff and plunged his hand in. And received another whacking with vines. Seriously, making teens work with such violent plants. It was a head shaker.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Before she could say anything, Bronislava's eyes grew wide as she watched Ström toss the snargaluff pod into the boiling water. "Vhat are you doing?" she cried, staring at the cauldron. "Zhe vood sorrel needed to be boiling for ten minutes first." She glanced at her watch. It had only just started boiling before he had pulled the pod out and it didn't seem long enough to her. She supposed his impulsiveness was a result of the spiky vine attack, but hopefully it wouldn't affect the result of the potion. The girl would not be happy with failure because of such a foolish mistake.

She let out a quiet sigh in slight frustration as he silently proceeded. Was he not going to speak to her now? If he was annoyed, she didn't care. They needed to get this task done, efficiently and precisely, and they needed to work together to do that. Bronislava pointed her wand again, quickly immobilizing the attacking vines. "Immobulus.. immobulus.. immobulus!" she once again cast to the base of each aggressive vine. Once the weren't in immediate danger of the swinging thorns, she dug her fingers into the edge of the hole again, pulling it back as far as she could to allow her teammate to retrieve the pod. According to the rest of the recipe, this was the most difficult. The rest was easy, even if it took a little while to complete.

[Ström Svensson]

"That wasn't ten minutes?" It had surely seemed like it. Then again, he'd been under attack from Snargaluff vines. Which may not look like they hurt when they hit you, but they did. Immensely. Anyway, what was done was done. Nothing they could do about it now. But he was pretty sure it HAD been ten minutes.

He pulled his hand out the hole, pod in hand and added this one to the potion too, not losing his cool at all during the entire exchange. Because, what good would getting angry do? "Now we wait some more." Five more minutes, to be exact. And just so Broni wouldn't have a panic attack, he set a timer charm.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava shrugged lightly at Ström's words as he questioned her timing. No, she really didn't think it had been long enough, but there wasn't anything to be done about it now. They would just have to proceed with the potion and hope for the best. It was their only chance at winning this stage in the game.

And as far as she was concerned, it didn't matter when the second one was added at this point, seeing the boy drop it in as well, since the other was already put into the potion early. So she expressed no comment about it. At least they were finished dealing with the temperamental snargaluff anyway. Hopefully the rest of the potion would be a breeze.

"Good idea," Bronislava said, noticing her teammate's timer charm. Potions needed to be precise as far as she was concerned. Though now with the wood sorrel not being boiled long enough, she wasn't sure if it should be set for longer. No. Five minutes is what the pods needed and that's what it would stay. She was really overthinking things at this point. It would all work out fine. Keep a cool head, Bronislava.

"I vill get zhe aloe, zhen," she mentioned matter-of-factly as she walked over to the plant and knelt down in front of it. Drawing her wand again, she made a slicing motion as she cast, "Diffindo!" A piece of the aloe fell off as it was severed from the plant and she carried it over to the cauldron. She waited another moment until she heard the timer go off, then bent down to lower the flame, allowing the mixture to slow to a simmer. She held the piece of aloe over the potion and squeezed it, counting the drops as they fell in until she reached ten. Now they had a bit of waiting to do. "Vould you like to set the timer again?"

[Ström Svensson]

Everything seemed to be smoothed over now. Good. Only with calm, cool heads would they prevail with this task. "Sure." And he did, this time for an hour. Ugh, he hated waiting.

One Hour Later

Hearing his timer go off, Ström reached for a piece of the galangal large enough to add up to five grams once powdered and, casting Scourgify on a mortar, placed the piece inside. "And now it needs to be.... powdered," he said, beginning the process of mashing the plant into a powder. Once it was sufficiently powdered, he cast a "Incendio," into the mortar and let it burn off until it was nice and brown, then canceling the spell. "And into the cauldron it goes," dumping it in as he said it.

[The Narrator]

Fat, swollen lips restricted the elfs ability to talk, but its distress and discomfort was easily seen. The house elf rolled over on the floor, its head - the size of a balloon barely distinguishable from its swollen neck.

Tick, tock.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

An hour seemed like an eternity in this arena. Ström was a man of few words and it didn't seem that conversation was going to make time go by any faster, so Bronislava took advantage of the mandatory wait by going over the steps of the potion in her head again, making sure everything would be precise. That and keeping her eye on the elf.

She knew there was one more ingredient to add, the galangal in powder form and her eyes fell on the plant. Then just some stirring and it should be done to relieve the poor elf's symptoms. Brown eyes wandered over to the pitiful creature again and she gave it a sad look. "Not much longer," she told it, her hand giving it a gentle pat to its increasingly swollen head. She frowned as it rolled over on the floor; it was obviously in so much discomfort. Had it been an hour yet?

Finally the timer went off and she nodded towards Ström as he took care of the galangal. She watched him as he lit it on fire and poured it into the cauldron then she walked over to finish it up. Once Bronislava scourgified the crystal stirrer, she plunged it into the mixture and began stirring vigorously. "Five minutes," she murmured aloud as she glanced at her watch for reference. She stirred and stirred, checking her watch periodically, and when it had been enough time, she stopped and turned off the flame.

"Ve should let it cool for a few minutes, I think," she said glancing first at Ström then at the swollen elf. "Ve don't vant to burn him. But not too long, his symptoms seem to be getting vorse and he looks to be in pain." She frowned at the creature. Not much longer and then they could apply the draft to his skin, hoping it would be effective for relieving him of the swelling.

[Ström Svensson]

Worse was an understatement. The elf was looking barely alive. Curseing whoever came up with this dumb idea mentally in Swedish, Ström aimed his wand at the potion and cast a cooling charm at it. "Or we could do that." And he didn't care whether it irritated his teammate either. They had to do something.

"I'm going to start applying it to his neck now," because the swelling had to be crushing the poor things windpipe, "you apply it to his head and we'll go from there." And that's just what he did, dipping his hand in the now cool potion and gently but quickly rubbing it on the poor elf's neck.

[Bronislava Zvonimir]

Bronislava tore her eyes away from the distressed elf as she noticed Ström waving his wand. What was he doing, a cooling charm? She supposed he was thinking more in the interest of aiding the elf as quickly as possible. And that was fine as long as the charm didn't affect the efficacy of the potion.

She waited until Ström was out of her way of the cauldron and dipped her own hands into the potion as he was beginning to apply it to the elf. She scooped up some of the mixture and carried it over to the painfully swollen creature, smoothing the potion over his head. The girl repeated this process one more time, scooping up more of the liquid and applying it to the elf, waiting to see if there was any change to his appearance. There was only one chance to see if the potion worked. She hoped they brewed it well enough to help the creature and if they didn't, that the officials would reverse the symptoms. She hated seeing it in such obvious distress.