Cerridwen Corrigan

[ĸara вelova★]

The MC's voice boomed throughout the theatre, "There are three guards. The competitor must disable them from attacking. They are not allowed to kill, or injure in a way that would kill, these men. Each guard that is rendered unable to fight, is worth one point."

A door opens, and light streams out. You can see the stage, and you are urged to go forward. When you enter the arena, the crowd errupts in loud applause and whistles. Some are chanting your name. But above this noise, the MC speaks to you, and you alone.

"Try to get as many points as you can, because the more you get in Stage I, the easier Stage II will be for you." The guards all turn in your direction.

"Let's see if Cerridwen has Stage Fright!"

[©erridwen Corrigan]

Cerridwen stepped forward and looked around. Audience. Ugh. She needed to go into her bubble. Her audience free bubble, where she could focus. Minerva's words came floating back to her and a small smile made it's way to her lips.

I'm proud of you

She doesn't hear that from Minerva very often, so this morning, when she was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, and Minerva came in and told her this, she couldn't help but cry. It was...so...sisterly. It was something she had really needed to hear.

Now here she was, with not so much as even a game plan. She was so screwed. Okay. Find the big scary guys, get them tangled...and get out. Right. She was fast. She was a flier, she could do this. Spreading her wings, Cerridwen darted in, and hovered hesitantly over the ground. Cerridwen could feel her heart beating quickly against her rib cage as she looked around.

Now as she got a better view of her arena, she saw them, all three of them. They didn't look to smart...trying not to get cocky, Cerridwen flew closer to the first one unsure of what to do next...would they just attack? She would just have to wait and see.

[Kirien Melantha]

"Oh no! Oh no! She's flying! In the air, Max, she's flying!" A thin, pimply man with thick round glasses gasped, his bony, trembling hand pointing to the airborne Cerridwen. His knees knocked together as he stood, shaking all over and looking rather sickly.

"Of course she's flying, Miles! She's a faerie! I told you all about them. Get yourself together and get into position!" Snapped back Max, a headstrong thirty-something with sharp purple glasses.

"B-but Max! What if she's aggressive?"

"Why did you sign up for this?! Control yourself and get into position, now! No more talking!"

The guards formed a triangle with the woman named Max at the front, the terrified Miles at her left, and an attractive, well-built man on her right. They each held their batons ready, waiting for Cerridwen to make a move.

[©erridwen Corrigan]

Cerridwen saw them, oh yes, she saw them, but she wasn't going near them. That would be quite stupid. Looking at them for a moment, she just hovered in the air before smiling a sweet smile at them. "I'm so sorry.." She nodded and with that shrugged a helpless shrug and focused on her magic.

She was in it to win it, and stage one, well hopefully it would get harder than this. Though, looking around she made sure nothing was going to come behind her.

It was well off, they waited for her to make a move as she was waiting for them. Well if they wanted her too...suddenly vines, as strong as leather, and as thick as her very calf came shooting out of the ground, and started to play around their feet. First it was gentle, but then more and more vines began festering around their feet, and trying to work around their ankles.

Please work..please work..please work. Cerridwen's heart began pounding and she watched it all play out. She should "give the poor souls a chance" but she just wanted to get in, and out as fast as she could. She didn't want to risk anything, playing cocky wasn't a smart idea. She did feel bad though.

Cerridwen looked at the guards, biting her lip every so often, hoping they were alright. "Sorry" She said again with yet another helpless shrug. There wasn't really much she could do, except make sure the vines were gentle with their prey.

[Kirien Melantha]

Max didn't miss a beat. She quickly pulled away from the vines that were threatening her, doing a number of curious hopping and twisting maneuvers until she was out of harm's way. "Miles, Josiah, move! Don't bother fighting back, you won't even dent 'em!"

Josiah, clearly the strong silent type, nodded and began to evade the vines as Max had. Miles, however, panicked when the vines began twining around his ankles, and ignored Max's orders, desperately beating at the plantlife with his baton. Soon, he was unable to move, his ankles tightly bound.

Max frowned at the airborne Cerridwen. 'It'll be a pain in the bum getting her down.' She thought to herself. 'They should have given us jetpacks or projectiles. I hope this doesn't reflect badly on me...I bet we're doing better than most people in this circus.'

"Alright! Try and knock her out of the air! Use any means necessary. Projectiles work best, but do not throw your batons unless absolutely desperate! Josiah, you know what to do!"

The two remaining guards ran toward Cerridwen and leaped into the air, swinging their batons in an attempt to knock her down.

[©erridwen Corrigan]

Cerridwen watched the scene play out and watched as only one of the guards had been caught. Well she wouldn't lie, she had been expecting at least one guard to be caught, and that one guard she had expected was caught. She felt semi bad for him, for he would probably be yelled at when this was all over. Cerridwen looked to the two other guards and sighed. How...was she going--Cerridwen had an idea.

Which left one guard. The guard that was referred to as Max.

"Dolle naa lost" Cerridwen hissed as the guards attacked, mainly she was speaking to Max, telling her she was stupid for even doing such a thing. Why? Why lunge at a fairy? A fairy that can just rise higher up, or, take a chance, Cerridwen let herself drop to the ground, and decided to see if they would sail over head.

This would make for an interesting story one day, that was for sure. Looking at the man tied up in vines, she wondered if he would let her borrow the baton...pondering this thought, Cerridwen watched from below.

Taking her eyes of them for just a moment, Cerridwen looked to the vines, who were still moving...tighter and tighter around the man...What? NO! "N'ndengina ho!" Cerridwen shouted at the vines glaring, and trying to keep track of where the two other guards were at the same time.

In a nutshell, Cerridwen realized...maybe she wasn't doing so hot. She should have just stayed home and planted in her garden. This was not going to end well...

[Kirien Melantha]

Neither of the two remaining guards sailed over Cerridwen's head; they were not capable of jumping extraordinarily high, and should she have stayed in the air, they probably wouldn't have even hit her legs. But now that Cerridwen was on the ground, and so nearby, Max saw their chance.

Instead of continuing to shout orders, she simply nodded her head at her partner, and they attacked, one in front of her and the other behind. Max, in front, aimed for Cerridwen's kneecap, while her silent comrade swung at the back of her head. Hopefully, their reaction time was good enough that they'd land a hit; if they could get her wounded and grounded, they might be able to take the faerie out.

[Kirien Melantha]

"Time's up!" The MC boomed, "Please lower your weapons and exit the stage!"

Max and Josiah obeyed immediately, though the former was muttering something unhappily under her breath. If Cerridwen listened closely, she might hear her mumble "rigged...I bet..." and "just...upper hand."

"For detaining one guard, Cerridwen will be awarded one point! Let's see how she does in Stage Two of Stage Fright!"

Miles, the guard Cerridwen ensnared, was still tangled up, now frantically shouting to be released. "It's over! Let me go! I don't want to be plant food!" He wailed pathetically, trying to swat at the vines with his hands.