On the outskirts of Hogsmeade across from the train station, an old brick warehouse had been renovated and restored. A painted sign creaks in the wind as it hangs out front and reads "Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range." Upon entrance, one finds themselves in a dimly lit foyer, directly ahead is a mahogany desk and decorated on the walls to the left are all the different dummies and targets that can be used. On the right, are various doors. One leads outside to the field, another leads to the four bedroom simulation area, and the other leads to a row of dueling strips separated by high, thick walls.
Practice Duel A short duel versus a target of your choice One on One Duel A duel against two wizards Bronze Lessons Novice dueling lessons for beginners, third years and up Silver Lessons Intermediate dueling lessons, fifth years and up, Gold Lessons Advanced dueling lessons, seventh years and up,
Bullseye Accuracy paper targets flash in rapid fire with three second intervals between each target Cowboy Action Shooting a single simulated dummy in a dueling strip Practical Shooting a simulated four bedroom area with various targets Field Target various forms of targets collected on a grassy woodland field Auror's Challenge simulated dummies, civilian and criminal, are set up in a dual challenge, beginning in the simulated four bedroom arena and winding through to the grassy woodland field.
Practice Dummy A plain wooden dummy that does not attack at all, though can be charmed to move like the rest. Civilian Dummy A woman, child, or elder, this dummy does not attack, points are taken for every one hit. Criminal Dummy Masked, hooded, or in black and white stripes, these dummies simulate criminals and are mildly offensive Death Eater Dummy Hidden under robes and behind a white mask, these are the most lethal dummies. Paper Targets By far the fastest target, these can simulate walking, running, and flying, can be altered to various sizes, small, medium, and large. These do not attack.
Receptionist:Takes payment, assists customers, helps setting up and closing down shop each day. Trainer:Offers lessons and training to customers
For any questions and inquiries, please see the owner, Annabelle Rich.
Belle's Loft
Just outside the main entrance of the warehouse, around the back of the building there is a separate doorway which opens into a wide staircase that leads to Annabelle's Loft. Several leopard print bean bag chairs are scattered throughout the sandal wood floors of the loft. Her bed, red couch, and several of her portraits and framed art have already been set up, and there's usually a mess of clothes strewn about, too.
Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am
So you wanna call me the devils'advocate But you don't even know the half of it I was raised to believe inmiracles My life is socold
Annabelle Emery Rich
Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range Owner ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
But she shook her head and focused her attention, branching out long legs to cross the threshold to unlock the door before she decided to send her new owl on its first flight. Her half kneazle, Lady, was currently trying to scurry on her desk to catch a better glimpse of the snow owl, Lucy, sheβd just bought last week to help her. A small note was etched in her cursive, loopy handwriting and she gently tied it to Lucyβs outstretched leg and summoned a treat in her hand for the owl. βHere you go, Lucy, now take this to Dev, okay?β
William, appearing in Hogsmeade roughly about fifteen minutes ago, found no difficulty in finding the building. The building had a distinct shape and color so it really wasn't hard to find. Belle always did go for the pop out factor. He walked through the threshold, smiling as he saw Belle. Looking around, he surveyed the building. It was very good. The atmosphere was great. The organization was there. All the little things found in a business was there. He really looked forward to seeing this place succeed.
"Hmm...Blaze of Glory. That's a nice name. I like this. I like this a lot," he said, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her and kept her in his arms for a bit. "I missed you Belles," he said, a genuine smile written on his face. "I'm glad you invited me out here. I was going to come anyway. I wanted to check out where I'm going to be investing in." William had money and he was going to help however he could.
Some are born great, some achieve great, but some...have greatness thrust upon them.
Essy ze Ninja
Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 8:25 am
So you wanna call me the devils'advocate But you don't even know the half of it I was raised to believe inmiracles My life is socold
Annabelle Emery Rich
Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range Owner ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
βDev! There you are,β she giggled and spun on her heels, her pink dress and leather jacket swinging in rhythm as she heard the chime above the door ring with a soft low pitch. The school year had seemingly dragged on forever, sheβd missed him dearly but she couldnβt deny that the extra time had been beneficial on her N.E.W.T.sβexcept Healing, Gods, that class had always been ruddy hard. βThank you, hehe, I know I kept most of it under wraps, I wanted it to be a surprise to everyone; but it actually turned out pretty brilliantly, huh?β She smirked, pale green eyes marveled around her at the shop that was hers. As his arm slipped around her waist, she cradled in close to his touch, fingers entangling in his shirt as she held him and gently rested her head against his shoulder. βI missed you too.β
She knew he was worn out, tired, and who would be? Heβd suffered too many losses and all too soon, too. She could only wonder how sheβd survive another year of him having to finish his schooling. But at least she wouldnβt be too far, and he could always visit her here on Hogsmeade weekends. βIt shouldnβt be too long before I can pay you back for everything,β she said, even if she knew he wouldnβt care, wouldnβt want it back any time soonβif he even did. But she was proud, and it had been Hell on his part to even get her to agree. She only had when she made him promise heβd let her pay him back, eventually, of course. If she had any other choice, she probably wouldnβt have agreed to let him investβshe didnβt want to feel like she was turning into her mum, or her da, or, anything like her family. To be honest, sheβd been avoiding her father like the plague since the summer had begun.
She didnβt want to discuss wedding banquets, flowers, or dresses, ********, not yet anyway. βOooh, and thereβs more, too. I havenβt quite finished unpacking, and youβll probably need to bring a few things here sometime soon, for the nights when you do stay here. But the loft upstairs is pretty big, I think youβll like it too.β
"It turned out quite brilliant. It's about time someone opened another Dueling Range. Ever since Murdoch's closed, I don't think anyone has had a chance to practice at all," he said, smiling at her brightly. Today had most likely been the first day that he has smiled in at least a month. He could never bring himself to smile, but he could now, because he knew that his fiance? was happy. He loved her so he always smiled when he was around her, nor did he find it hard to smile when she was this close to him. He loved how she always rested her head on his shoulder, because it made him feel just...great, that he knew the girl of his dreams was in his arms, at that very moment. He tightened his grip a bit at the thought, but made sure it wasn't too tight.
"Don't worry about when you pay me back. I never said a deadline date; mostly because I thought this would be our perfect compromise," he told her, laughing at her mainly because he knew she was about to give him that face of pure playful disgust that she always gave him after he had said something smart.
"Alright, then I'll probably be bringing some things over here in the next couple days. Why don't we do that next? Let's go get you unpacked and settled in. I figure it'll give us sometime to be together and you can tell me how your year went," he said, kissing her cheek finally and hoping she would lead him to her loft.
Some are born great, some achieve great, but some...have greatness thrust upon them.
Essy ze Ninja
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:19 am
So you wanna call me the devils'advocate But you don't even know the half of it I was raised to believe inmiracles My life is socold
Annabelle Emery Rich
Owner of Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
A wistfully reminiscent smile had sauntered on her lips, but how dare it; itβd been so long since she thought of Murdoch, and of Hildy. Gods, she hadnβt thought of Hildegard in years it seems like, and immediately, she felt the pang of guilt and regret worm its way into the core of her heart. She still had no idea where the girl had gone, or what had happened to her. There was no way sheβd ever find out, she had begun to realize, and even with the fruitful promise of Ronyoβs detective agencyβwellβshe wasnβt sure she really wanted to know after all. But it didnβt seem to matter as she melted into Devinβs grasp, until, of course, his humorous tone drifted in her ears.
βOh hush, you know you donβt have a choice in this,β she squirmed, wiggled out of his arms just in time to playfully push him in the chest (tch, not like he really moved, anyway.) But still, she had to try and push him around a time or two, someone had to keep him on his toes!
Giggling, her long fingers captured his wrist and she dragged him along behind her like a long lost best friend. βOh, have you heard about the carnival thatβs coming? I heard theyβll be putting portkeys all around, you should go with me. Thereβs a masquerade ball too, so you can see me dress up again,β she giggled, flashing a carnal wink in his direction. βCβmon, the door to the loft is just outside and around the back.β
RonyoStorm - Former Slytherin Detective Blaze of Glory Dueling Range
Entering the old warehouse door Ronyo smiled seeing the place. It was well designed and decorated for the theme of the place and helped bring one into the mindset of dueling. The target dummies that were over the large desk helped give some idea of what you would be facing in the rings. Finding a sign that showed the lessons and services offered along with prices the white haired detective smiled more. It was good to see Belle following her heart after she graduated, for a time there the old Slytherin worried his former Seeker would give in to the pressures of her blood line and family to simple do as a woman of her station was "suppose" to do.
Ronyo had a lot on his mind with the recent developments in the case. Eretria's brother had been sighted, at the masked ball of all places. He escaped unharmed but the curious part was that he was seen at all. If he was at a place like the circus and the masked dance then it meant he was not being held against his will or unfit to travel. That meant he was in hiding, or some odd manner of hiding that allowed him to be seen in a large public event. Ronyo wished to tell Eretria the news but he needed to do some extra investigating as well. His source gave him the details of a young female student who seemed taken by the mystery man. The girl was a good friend to Michelle which Ronyo hoped gave him a way in to speak with the girl about the young man's whereabouts.
It was a lot to go over which had brought Ronyo here. At school he could simply go to the stone circle and practice his dueling and martial arts but he no longer had access to the stone circle. With Belle opening up her dueling business Ronyo hoped it might become a regular location for him to visit to help clear his mind and focus his skills. A bag was slung over his shoulder, filled with work out gear to change into once he picked his ring. Honestly to him the Bull's-eye Accuracy, Practical Dueling, Field Target, and the Auror Challenge all sounded good. Sounded like a good way to start out his time here.
"Hello, I hear the Queen of Dueling run this place," Ronyo grinned hopping to get a good smile out of his old friend with his comment.
Essy ze Ninja
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:28 pm
So you wanna call me the devils'advocate But you don't even know the half of it I was raised to believe inmiracles My life is socold
Annabelle Emery Rich
Owner of Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
The heels of her boots were pointed at her old house mate as she lounged back in her chair with her legs propped upon her desk. Lazily, she flipped through swatches of color schemes and floral arrangements with a bored sigh. But the only thing her aunt had to look forward to these days was the upcoming wedding, considering her own familial struggle with her son. To be honest, she never would have guessed the little git of a cousin would have fallen so hard for a girl; and a half blood, too. Sheβd barely even heard the ring of the bell chime overhead as she tossed another floral sample, a photograph of calla lilies and roses, and let it sift to the floor in a rather impressive pile on the floor.
βWell, well, well, if it isnβt my old quidditch captain.β Belle smirked, she couldnβt resist to roll her eyes at his comment but smile nonetheless as she hastened herself forward and clicked her heels to the floor to stand on her feet. Below her, her half-kneazle, Lady, seemed less than delighted by the surprise of her heel striking down so sudden and near her tail. Belle didnβt seem to pay much mind to her. βWhat can I do you for, Ronyo?β Though with a quirked brow and a curious green eye sweeping up and down it hadnβt taken her too long to deduce why he was here; she smiled.
βTraining, hm?β She questioned, but never really gave him much chance to answer in regards. βHow have you been anyway? I hear youβve opened your own keep, tooβ¦. Iβve been hearing a lot of things, actually.β She shrugged. It wasnβt of any importance, anyway. Besides, she only heard the word from the grape vine, the same one that feeds the United Kingdomβs entire underbelly. βAnyway, whatβre you in the mood for trying today? A practice duel? Or maybe some practical shooting?β She wagered with a small laugh and nervously fiddled with the engagement ring on her left hand.
RonyoStorm - Former Slytherin Detective Blaze of Glory Dueling Range
His detective's eye followed the pile of color swatches and the bored look on his old teammates face. She was still planning for that wedding of hers, it seemed like she was always planning for it whenever he saw her. Her smile to him looked like the first she had cracked in a few hours, likely the same amount of time she had been looking over those color options. Ronyo removed his hat and chuckled a bit at the woman's eagerness to either see a familiar face or a customer.
"Good to see you to Belle, how's the cousin of yours? Still knocking people off brooms and forgetting when he's off the pitch?" Dom was always a bit eager to fight, if the boy didn't have a few less than admirable traits he would have been a good candidate for a Chimera, "I was thinking of starting off with that Auror challenge of yours, see how I stack up to the big leagues," A wink showed his feelings on that idea, as good as the Aurors were they still held back too much, "maybe try out a few of these rooms actually, it's been awhile sense I practiced really," His smile dropped just a bit as moved the subject along, "Those goons at the circus maybe me realize I need to sharpen back up. I have a feeling we will be seeing them again," Ronyo tossed a small bag full of thirty galleons to the blonde snitch catcher, "Let me know when that runs out. I'll take a break and maybe help you with some of those wedding plans. I'm a detective now so helping people with their problems is my full time business now."
Essy ze Ninja
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:24 pm
So you wanna call me the devils'advocate But you don't even know the half of it I was raised to believe inmiracles My life is socold
Annabelle Emery Rich
Owner of Blaze of Glory: Dueling Range ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
βHeβs..β Belle paused, but she hadnβt meant to. She hadnβt meant to lie, either, but she did. βGood, heβs good. Always the rebellion, that one.β She smiled a furtive smile, secrets hiding behind the veil of her pale eyes as she tapped a long white nail to rasp against her desktop. With the tilt of her head, and a sheepish little smirk sliding on to her lips she leaned forward with an obtrusive gleam. βThink youβre ready for the big dogs, Ron? Well letβs see what you got.β
She returned his playful wink with one of her own, eyelashes batting away the haunting glow of competition that naturally twitched in her fingers. It left as quickly as it came, however, that evanescent fire, and it was as soon as heβd made mention of the foul, wicked beings. It made her sick and stole the color from her cheeks without regret. Sheβd made no mention of it, however, as agile fingers caught the bag in midair. βChallenge ends when you reach the end of the road, or, yβknow, get knocked out by one of the targetsβ¦
βAnd careful now, those corners are sharp.β She flashed another wink as she made a motion for the door on her far right. The lock unclicked and the knob slowly turned with a groan as it breathed open and parted ways, revealing the first room to the challenge, the foyer, that wound through several bedrooms before sprawling out into a woodland field.
"I don't really need help, besides, I couldn't steal that honor from my aunt." She smiled and laughed, and then she waited until he was gone, or at least, felt he was no longer looking at her for her discomfort to suddenly show. She felt sick again, but for a reason she couldnβt understand. Her hand trailed over her stomach until the ring caught on the fabric, without even trying to tug it loose, she just slipped it off and dropped it on her desk with a small clink and a heavy sigh.
RonyoStorm - Former Slytherin Detective Blaze of Glory Dueling Range
Ronyo grinned as Belle spoke about Dom, although with a small pause to indicate something else going on. Ronyo knew Dom to be a hot tempered young man so there was a small amount of worry that Ronyo's old fellow Beater had gotten into something deep. Still Belle moved past the point and grinned as Ronyo set up to start the first of the challenges his coin would buy. The Auror Challenge. As Belle unlocked the door and moved off to deal with her own matters Ronyo walked off to the side and dropped his bag.
Opening it up the white haired detective pulled out a pair of boots and a white cotton shirt. Quickly Ronyo removed his vest and button down shirt, folding them and placing them on top of his bag so they did not get dirty. For the brief moment his bare chest was visible it was clear that while the former Slytherin may not have had a lot of time to practice his dueling, he had occupied his time with physical exercise and training. His chest and abs were toned from high cardio workouts and his upper arms looked like small tightly wrapped cords. The cotton short went on and after a quick change into the boots as well Ronyo was ready to go. The wizard had also placed his old behind the back wand holsters on in place of his under the arm ones typically worn by the man. With a crack of his neck and knuckles the white haired detective walked in with a smile to the foyer.
Entering the room Ronyo looked around as he bent his knees and moved his hands gently in the air, his fingers rubbing together ever so slightly. A criminal target popped up and fired a spell off from behind, with a side long roll the Detective was up and his wands came to his hands instantly, a hint at his wandless magic skills. A snap of his Ash wand sent a stunning spell out and knocking the dummy down and out. Several more targets popped up, some civilians but most criminal in this room. Spins, rolls, and quick steps put Ronyo in line or out of the way where needed, and quick snaps from both hands sent spells flying out to crash into the bad targets.
Entering the next room Ronyo rolled in expecting a quick attack that came in the form of two quick popping dummies firing at him. Ronyo was up from his roll and pushing off the ground as his wands snapped out and lit up with electricity as the detective spoke the incantations for his lightning blade spell. The wands slashed out like short swords slashing the targets heads clean off and then going dark as the spell was ended after only the initial slash. The targets came quicker this time and with more frequency in the civilian dummies making a show. The former Slytherin did not stop in his motion however knowing that he needed to press himself even under the challenging encounter. Sharp motions of his wands flicked out spell after spell colliding with the targets, a few times several in rapid succession on the same target for good measure.
The third room Ronyo opened but stayed on the other side until he noticed the three targets appear. Two criminal hiding behind a single civilian. A pop had Ronyo vanishing from his spot and appearing just behind the criminal dummies, wands pointed at each ones head and firing off a spell at close range without missing a beat. Another set of hostage taking dummies appeared and again Ronyo vanished and appeared around the room at various spots to avoid being hit or get closer. At times the detective appeared right in front of the target his wand glowing with the electrical energy of his lightning blade already stabbing through the target upon apparition. Ronyo vanished as quickly as he could trying to match the quicker tempo starting by the dummies. A few splinches on his shoulders but otherwise the constant apparating was working out.
The last room before the sprawling woodland field. One more close quarter battle area and Ronyo was up for pushing himself more. Diving headlong the detective then vanished from the spot and appeared back at the entrance as several spells slammed into the location he would have stopped on. You can only do the same action twice before your enemy becomes aware of it. This time his wands hurtled end without the wizards, glowing with the lightning blades added length and embedding into two criminal targets. Moving in slowly this time Ronyo picked his targets and sent two stunning spells out with his hands before calling his wands back to him. This time the former Slytherin walked with purpose instead of running and gunning. His targets appeared and then went down as both wands turned to fire on the target or quickly pull before firing on a civilian. A stunning spell clipped his left hip before the dummy responsible received two in the face for the transgression.
With the room clear Ronyo dashed out into the woodland field ready for the last part of the challenge. Several criminal targets appeared, some with civilian hostages but the majority was a large force firing down on him. Coming to stand on the center location Ronyo flipped, ducked, dodged, blocked, and deflected oncoming spells but did not move from his spot. Turning to face several targets at once and foiling their attacks he then let loose stronger spells now being outside. Lightning spells jumped from his wands and slammed into multiple enemy clusters. The few civilians faced only stunning spell flying by their fake heads as Ronyo did not wish to test the range of the area effect from his lightning spells. Several more stunning spells glanced the young man's shoulder and legs but were received with only gritted teeth and a return of a stronger spell. One dummy managed to disarm Ronyo's left wand as it flipped end over end Ronyo snapped out his left hand a let loose a stream of lightning that blazed through the dummy, and his right wand summoning the lost wand back to him.
When the dust settled Ronyo was glistening from his perspiration and his breath was coming in slightly longer rhythms. He was still good to go and smiled as he exited the area and back to the starting room with Belle. There he took a small water bottle from his bag and a towel, as the detective hydrated and dabbed some of the sweat off his face he glanced at the hostess. His shoulders rotated as he felt the stings of the splinches, his white cotton shirt now showing small red stains.
"Any chance you can make those criminal dummies pop up as the Death Eater version?" His voice and eyes spoke of a man ready to go right back in with the hopefully harder targets.
ββββ¨ stomped up to the dueling range, which Ronyo had so.... courteously messaged her about. Now, not only did everyone know she was a werewolf, but they also knew she sucked at magic. Couldn't she just suck at one thing?! Quidditch wasn't exactly going in her favor.... not that it really had been. She opened the door and walked in, not caring enough to remove her jacket. She looked like she hadn't slept in a while, even though she'd been sleeping fine. The girl really didn't want to be here, but maybe she could take her aggression out on someone.
RonyoStorm - Former Slytherin Detective Blaze of Glory
Ronyo was starting to breath a bit heavier now after having run the course a few more times and done the quick fire one as well. His white cotton shirt was clinging to him now with the sweat, and his tone chest and stomach could be seen flexing as he breathed longer now. The red patches on his shirt had stopped growing as Ronyo had refined his quick apparation after a few more splinches. A smile was wide on the detectives face as he took a slow drink of water and let it wash out the dryness in his mouth. Looking over at the sudden appearance of the young pup Ronyo's smile got even bigger as he approached her.
"Remy, I'm glad you made it. I was hoping you would show up. I'd give you a hug but I think yo would thank me to not right now," Ronyo chuckled as he looked to the door to the normal dueling arena, "How about we have those lessons you asked about?" Looking to Belle with a wink, "Mind if I let Remy beat me up for a bit? Just take it off my sum I gave you please." Ronyo turned back and smiled at Remy again.
