(1939-03-11) Diagonally Challenged
Details for Diagonally Challenged
Summary: With a little help from her friends, Rena means to do a good deed by educating the masses and handing out pamphlets… but things go awry rather suddenly.
Date: 1939-03-11
Location: Central Diagon Alley
Related: Immediately precedes: Take Off Your Shoes
Characters
RenaKennethGrahamShelleyRhyelineUnetta

NOTE: The various NPCs were artfully finagled by Rhyeline and Rena, and wonderfully interacted with by all.

"At least it stopped snowing!" Rena exclaims breathlessly as she dodges in and out of the heavy foot-traffic of Diagon Alley. She is toting a heavy looking crate in her arms, and her breath rises into the air in clouds of steam that are snatched away quickly on the breeze. On her way to the appointed spot where she and Graham decided to hand out pamphlets this evening, she managed to stop in the Leaky Cauldron for a quick drink of spiced cider. While there, she encountered her favorite Army Captain, Kenneth, with a Muggle Liaison in tow. Being the frenetic little whirlwind that she is, she all but grabbed the unfortunate Captain's hand and dragged him along with her, hurriedly explaining what she was up to.
Coming to a lamppost on a well-lit corner, Rena pauses and looks around with a quick, appraising nod. There are several empty boxes, crates and barrels near the wall close at hand. Putting down her own load, she smiles at Kenneth and says: "Care to 'elp me set up a bit of a stage 'ere?"

Kenneth follows the little whirlwind of energy down the narrowed alley and to the appointed spot. "Which of these crates and things do you want where, Rena?" he moves to where the first crate is, lifting it and shaking off the snow. "These might be a bit slick from the damp, have care when you stand on them." He flashes a smile at his liaison and then looks back to Rena. "How many of these do you want as a base to stand on?"

Rhyeline steps out of Gringotts and immediately shivers as the evening air nips at her. She draws the fur-lined hood of her cloak to keep her ears from turning too pink with cold. Sweet Temptations isn't far. Some of their famous hot cocoa would be nice before going home. The little one sets off down the street, but at once hears Rena's voice nearby. The girl pauses and glances over to the small gathering in the lamplight.

Graham reaches the area that was decided for the items to be given away at about the same time. He also carries a rather heavy looking box the test of the items it would seem. "Hello Rena, and Kenneth." He wasn’t aware the other was going to be here, but it's okay he's been a friend for a while now. "This should be the last box."
He notifies if he must head to work, he's at least wanting to help out with this kind of thing while he can.

Shelley, for her part, steps out of the apothecary with a bag of potion ingredients - pausing as she spots the two auror's across from her, and watching them arrange boxes. She doesn't approach yet, and instead crosses her arms over her chest as she watches with an amused expression on her features. /This/ she expects to get entertaining.

"Hmm…" Rena eyes the crates critically as Kenneth obligingly puts them in place. "Per'aps one tier will be good enough. I want to make sure people can see and 'ear me, but I don't want to make a spectacle of myself. I'm just so blasted short." The last part she adds confidingly to the captain with a wry smile. "Thanks awfully."
Graham's arrival interrupts the young redheaded woman's train of thought and she directs him to place the box atop the makeshift stage: "Thanks ever so much, Graham!" She exclaims with a breathless smile. "It was lovely of you to rally-round and 'elp with the load."
Then, with everything put in place as it can be, Rena attempts to clamber up onto the stage. Her foot slides a bit though, and her lips form a small pout. "Captain, give a girl a bit of an 'and?" She asks Kenneth with a chuckle, holding out her arm so that he can steady her on her way up. Once she's up higher, she'll undoubtedly catch sight of Rhyeline.

Rhyeline blinks and tilts her head to the side as she watches the construction of a makeshift platform. Hands clasped behind her back, she starts to approach slowly.

Kenneth takes her small hand in his and uses his other hand to steady her arm as she clambers up atop the crates. "It is an honor to assist a fair damsel in distress. Think nothing of it." He flashes her a teasing smile, then steps back a moment. "No larking about up there, you'll fall and hurt yourself."

"Of course." Graham says moving the box to where he's directed to. The auror is careful not to injure himself or anything. "There ya go. That should be all set for the moment. And yes, please no taking a spill." He will take a moment now to look around the alley and get ideas on where people are and such.

Well, Shelley is conveniently visible, leaning up against a lamp-post across from the group, still watching the goings on. She almost wishes she had some of those… popped corn things.

With Kenneth's kind assistance, Rena is now perched atop a slightly slippery stage made of damp crates. His remarks cause her to giggle and flash him a smile with laughter in her eyes: "I'll try to mind myself, but my show-girl instincts might get the better of me if people don't pay attention." To Graham, she turns and gives a small wink before tugging her clothing straight.
Already, some of the random passersby have begun to take notice of the strange sight under the lamppost. Murmurings begin to stir here and there, and the occasional curious onlooker pauses in their errands to quirk an eyebrow or glance at the ginger girl and her friends beneath the lamppost. As there is no real indication of what is about to unfold, the general atmosphere is one of quiet curiosity.
Rena, with her smart little peacock-trimmed hat cocked into place, draws a small breath or two. Make good on this, girl… make good. Her wand comes out and is then held up in the air. With a quick flourish, she calls out the spell to make a red flare of sparks shoot from the end and into the sky. Even as the sparks rise, she shouts: "Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention, PLEASE!"

Rhyeline stands among the curious onlookers. The flourish and flare catch the little mouse quite off guard. She folds her arms against her chest, and tucks her hands beneath her chin, taking a half-step back.

A little boy barely three years, less than three feet tall, old reaches up at the red sparks. "Mummy, lookit! It's a splosion! A spalooozzzun!" His mother, a long-suffering woman with fly-away brown curls holds onto him by the wrist. The little tyke keeps tugging forward, trying to reach the sparks. "You mean, explosion dear," she corrects with prim diction.

Graham gives a small smile and wave to Shelley, though he turns back as an owl flutters down and drops a folded note at him: "Oh you've gotta be…" He says, though he'll unfold it. Looking it over, his eyes go wide and he'll frown looking to the stage a moment he'll hold the note up and say work emergency. He looks back to the Auror leaning against the lamp post mouths "Work. Please look after them." He doesn't want to cause an incident by disappearing here. He'll move off. As he passes Rhyeline, he gives a smile: "Sorry, work called." He then moves off to where he'll apparate.

Shelley watches Rena set off the flare, and can't help the snort of amused laughter and slips out. As Graham moves towards her, she asks, "Does laughing quietly count as 'looking after'?" she asks.

Kenneth watches the crowd gather and is a bit startled by the wand shooting sparks. Yes, this lot always has some sort of parlor tricks up their sleeves. He cannot help but feel a bit of like a fish out of water in the alley, still in his Muggle Army uniform he would likely stand out like a sore thumb were it not for his military issue over coat and hat. Oh, hell, on second thought, they likely don't help blend him into this crowd any more than if he were wearing a 'Hello, I am a Muggle' sign around his neck.

Rhyeline peeks up at Graham with a shy, but warm smile. Realizing the owl is dragging him back to work, she bites her lower lip, but nods. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Shelley. It's getting a bit crowded so close to the stage. Rena is drawing a fair amount of attention this evening which stirs up crickets in Rhyeline's belly. Hands clasped rather tight behind her back, the little one slips to stand back with Shelley. As she inches closer and closer to Shelley's side, the girl peeks up at her, hoping the auror won't mind.

The muggle is attracting almost as much attention as Rena- at least from those close enough to notice him. One young man with flaming hair and freckles peers at his uniform with great curiosity. A child with blonde pig-tails tugs on her mother's skirt, pointing. "It's not polite to stare," she is told. An elderly woman wearing elaborate, violet robes peers at the muggle with stern disapproval through a pair of spectacles poised precariously on her parrot's beak of a nose.

Rena's shoulders droop a little when Graham is forced to move off and slip away from the crowd. She would feel a little braver if he could have stayed… but, of course, she's got Kenneth with her. She's not alone - even if it feels quite lonely now that people in the alley have begun to take notice of the sparks and shouting.
A nervous smile is flicked toward the good Captain. Stooping to pick up pamphlets from the crates beside her feet, the young woman then stands tall, holding them in the air and fanned slightly: "Ladies and Gentlemen! We live in a frightening time. For those of us with Muggle connections, we are all too well aware of the rumors of an oncoming war. For those who only concern themselves with the Wizarding world, a terrible spate of crimes perpetrated by Dark Wizards and Witches has disturbed the peace of mind of every thinking citizen. But I tell you, fear feeds upon ignorance. And those who practice dark arts feed upon fear! Educate yourselves, for the sake of yourselves and your loved ones! Knowledge is /Power!"
The crowd begins to thicken somewhat, and a few wary eyes are cast upon the Army Captain standing so close to the woman speaking. However, for the moment, a lot of attention lays upon the pamphlets that Rena is waving.

Shelley listens to Rena's speech with amused curiousity, and greets Rhyeline with a nod of her head. The curve brim of her hat may hide her features from Rena's vantage point - though the hat itself should be familiar to the woman.
"Did you put her up to this, Miss Diderot?" Shelley asks in an amused tone.

Kenneth notices the stares and the glares and frowns. To the young man he offers a polite nod, to the mother and the little child, there is a flash of his most charming smile. However the words that tumble from Rena's lips make him pay attention, dragging his thoughts away from the hatchet faced old biddy with the glasses on her nose. Over his lifetime he's seen a great many of those disapproving looks, Purebloods sneering down their noses at the Muggle lad who dared to marry one of their kind. In the end one grows impervious to their venom.
"Well done, Rena," he mutters to himself, "You have their attention now."

Rhyeline rises up on her tiptoes, hoping to catch Rena's eye from the back of the crowd. If successful, she will offer her a smile of encouragement. Settling back down onto her heels, Rhyeline glances up at Shelley. The girl shakes her head. Nope, not her.

The crowd is starting to shift and buzz. Rena has brought up a controversial topic. The little boy reaching for the sparks is promptly scooped up into his mother's arms. She hasn't forgotten the riots that struck Diagon Alley not too long ago.

Murmurings ripple through the crowd as people turn to look at one another and make passing comments while listening to Rena. A few individuals begin to step forward, looking through the crates containing pamphlets. A Light in the Darkness: Separating Fact from Myth about the Dark Arts and Know Your Enemy: How To Identify Dark Wizards receive the most attention at first. A few of the less ostentatious members are more intrigued by the one entitled: Suds Versus Evil: 12 Common Charms That Could Save Your Life.
Kenneth's words reach Rena's ears, and she turns to smile timidly at the Captain. Her eyes are shining with nervous excitement, and her cheeks flushed with colour: "If only they would all listen…" Turning back to the crowd, her dark eyes briefly catch a familiar hat, and a familiar face beside it. Shelley and Rhyeline have been spotted!
Rena was about to wave and call out to her friends in the crowd, forgetting herself and her mission momentarily when one dark haired young man approaches the stage. Taking one pamphlet into his hand, he grips it tightly and glares up at the woman with steely grey eyes: "And what about this?" He voice cuts through the murmurs, cold as ice. "Army of Lies: Grindelwald's Great Deception?" He reads with a sneer. Oddly… people begin to quiet down. The sudden silence is eerie.

"A likely story," Shelley responds to Rhyeline, giving the woman an amused look.
She focuses her attention on the man confronting Rena next, curious to see how the other auror would respond to the man's belligerence. Probably he's one of those bigoted fools they stood very little chance of convincing. But hopefully others listening could be convinced.

That voice makes Rhyeline's chest tighten. Biting her lower lip, her eyes shine with apprehension. She takes another half step closer to Shelley, hugging herself a bit.

The parents of the little girl who should not point have tugged their daughter away. The parrot-nosed witch joins the dark haired young man in his sneer. "Such impertinence," she clucks at the mudblood before her. "Grindelwald will see us all freed from the oppression of muggles." She pronounces that word as if it carries a revolting taste.

Kenneth stands by, listening to the man who seems to be in direct opposition to the thoughts that Rena is trying to put out there. This is not his place, this is not his fight, but he will protect the woman who is doing her best to stop this Grindelwald. He goes immediately on alert, watching the crowd and gauging their reactions. He stands a bit straighter in his uniform.
"Muggle oppression indeed." he snorts softly. "Most of them don't know you exist. How do you oppress someone you don't even know exists?

Shelley rests one hand briefly on Rhyeline's shoulder, flashing the other woman a reassuring smile - but then the auror can't help but make a little trouble herself. "Ah, yes, I don't know about the rest of you but I feel horribly oppressed - what with my freedom to enjoy Muggle parks, and Muggle museums, and Muggle forms of transportation, while they do absolutely nothing to interfere with our way of life. It's a wonder we get through the day, at all."
Helpful? … maybe not.

A lovely time for a walk? Unetta thought so. But perhaps she chose the wrong place to walk, however. Or maybe it's the right place. Get her voice out there. Get some new clients in the process? Strife can sometimes be good for business! She straightens up her dark green dress and puts on a bright smile as she approaches. "My, was there a party in Diagon Alley and nobody invited me? Or are those invitations to a soiree? I haven't been to a good soiree in a while." She asks cheerfully, pointing to the pamphlets.

The parrot-nosed witch flushes with fury as the muggle dares address her in such a tone. Her lips tighten as if to a sour taste. And then Shelley's words reach her ears. She turns, eyes flashing. "Of course. Why else do we live hidden? For fear of persecution. Their sheer numbers pose an ever constant threat. It is only by controlling the dangerous cattle that we can avoid being trampled in their stampede."

Rhyeline tries to draw as little notice as possible. However, Shelley’s statement draws such inevitable attention in their direction.

Shelley and Kenneth speak out for themselves, causing others further back in the crowd to stir and make a few angry growling noises from the shadows. Rena doesn't even wait a half a tick to become swept up into the strong emotions she feels with regard to Grindelwald. Drawing herself up with a small tremble, she fixes her fiery gaze upon those who would defend his actions.
"Grindelwald is a tyrant. A would-be dictator who feeds on the fears and ignorance of those who live in a world of the past - those who would believe that there is no room for unity and peaceful harmony in the future! He promises freedom, but will deliver you into slavery under his thumb. By promising safety, security and control, this man would rise to power and try to 'old the world in his 'and!"
Unetta arrives at a very ill-timed moment. Now people are getting angry. The young redhead has lost her temper - and very likely the peaceful goodwill of part of the crowd gathering around. Unconsciously, she moves back a step, not in fear, but protectively toward Kenneth, ready to defend her friend if need be.

Kenneth laughs in the old harpy's face. "Dangerous cattle are we? So to save yourselves from the perceived persecution, you would try and control the very people you claim that you fear? Muggles, who have not been blessed with the gifts you have been given. Muggles, who go about their business like the very cattle you claim they are - but they are more like dairy cows than the steers of the American wilderness. You have been reading too many dime novels, Madam. Muggles go about their business and keep to themselves for the most part, we bicker and argue among ourselves, your kind have been left alone for a long time to my knowledge. We don't need to be controlled; we need to learn to trust one another."
"I am particularly enjoying the train of her logic," Shelley agrees with Kenneth. "Clearly, justifying every fear they may have ever had of magic from centuries past as we attempt to enslave them is a wise choice when we are, as was so helpfully pointed out, desperately outnumbered. I'm sure that will go very well for the wizarding community, and for humanity at large," Shelley answers, her attention turning to the parrot-nosed woman. "Grindelwald is a tyrant who places both of our societies at risk and would bring about world-wide violence and bloodshed in his grab for world domination. It'll make the Muggle's 'Great War' look like minor a skirmish, if we fall for his rhetoric and let him have his way."

Shouts from the muggleborns in the crowd lift in support of Kenneth, the well-spoken military man. "Here, here!" shouts a man with a bristly broom of a mustache. "Then so be it!" shouts the parrot-nosed witch in response to Shelleys' words. If looks could kill, this one would wipe out half of Diagon Alley. Her hand trembles with fury as she points at the muggle, "His kind have /only/ left us alone through our constant vigilance. My nephew works for the Ministry. An obliviator. Every day he has to erase memories from the minds of muggles. Why? Because if they knew, it would mean torches as in the days of old. We live hidden in /fear/. We have lived in fear for too long! Grindelwald is our liberator!"

"Ah. So it's that kind of party, is it? Well, no wonder I wasn't invited. People seem to forget to invite me to these kinds of events." Unetta smiles still on as she pushes her way to the front. "We do need to get along, us pure-bloods, along with half-bloods, muggle-borns, and muggles all alike, or we're doomed to repeat hatred and fighting and…all that kind of stuff that I'm sure Professor Binns had attempted to teach us back at Hogwarts. However!" She holds up her index finger as if to make a point, as she approaches the front of the crowd, "If we start with the petty bickering like a bunch of rascally impish…garden gnomes, we're no better than the gnomes themselves. Gnomes? Is that the kind of creature I'm attempting to equate us to?" She frowns, not noticing any familiar faces just as yet.
"Maybe I'm thinking of leprechauns. They're pretty impish. And the gold they throw around always disappears. We don't want our opinions to just disappear, do we?" Unetta turns to the parrot-nosed witch. "Will you hush for a moment, please? I'm trying to think. You're making it rather difficult. Please and thank you." She flashes the woman a giant smile.

Rhyeline has noticed the dark looks sent in Kenneth's direction. Rena is receiving no small share of evil sneers as well. As attention fixes on the parrot-nosed witch and Shelley, the little mouse slips silently through the crowd. She resurfaces not far from the stage, wand in hand. At the slightest indication of violence, she is ready to protect the muggle and muggleborn.

Kenneth looks to the old harpy and stands his ground. "And yet, there are those like myself who know your kind, respect them, care for them and yes, love and marry them. I now have two beautiful children who straddle both worlds. Ambassadors of peace, teaching us through their very existence that we /can/ live together in harmony." yes, this is very personal to him.

"Well said, Captain!" Rena says, turning briefly to Kenneth as he speaks his peace. Her dark eyes show fierce pride in her friend for his words. She couldn't be prouder if she tried. And then Shelley throws in her support as well. "Never a truer word was spoken!" Rena then exclaims, her gaze snapping back to her fellow Auror.
"Men like Grindelwald promise you liberation - but they only liberate themselves!" Rena replies to the older woman with a hint of desperation in her voice. She would give anything to convince her. "Do you think I don't know our histories? The witch hunts, the burnings… Those things 'appened out of FEAR and Ignorance! We are fighting to unite our peoples; unite them so that we can live in understanding and 'armony."
Unfortunately, Rena has been so focused on defending her stance and protecting Kenneth that she failed to pay any further attention to the young, dark-haired man who originally stirred the pot in the beginning. Unetta's quizzical ramblings only further add to the confusion, and the man smirks wickedly, elbowing a blonde gentleman beside him - a friend, no doubt. Suddenly, the wand flicks, and he says: "Silencio!"
Rather abruptly, the young woman's voice stops. Her lips move several more times, but her hand goes to her throat, and she blinks, stunned. Her voice is /gone./

"Yes. We fear. We fear what they'd do - but do we really know?" Shelley points out. "You want to murder and enslave them - because you're scared, and not because of a single thing they have done in /centuries/, and look how far they and we have come since then? She keeps her own wand out of sight, unlike Rhyeline. She's knows better than to escalate this. "We're fools if we give into fear and commit violence. We're follows if we start a bloody war that was may be incapable of winning. We owe it to ourselves and our children, or nieces and nephews - the generation of young witches and wizards in Hogwarts, and those not old enough yet to attend - to find a peaceful way to meet our challenges, and to conquer our fears. Whether that be in the way that the gentleman suggests," she nods her head to Kenneth, "or a continuation of the ways that have served us for centuries. Either is better than hatred. And warfare. And death."
As Rena falls silent she adds, "Oh, that's very sporting. You're so afraid of hearing her speak of reason and understanding, that you won't allow her to continue? I can see that you must have great confidence in your position." Her tone drips sarcasm.

The parrot-nosed witch shakes with barely suppressed fury as she shrieks, "Fools! Impudent fools. Can you not see their attempts to infiltrate and corrupt us from within?" The muggle's words prove to be too much. "Well I never- How DARE you- Of all the most insolent-" It seems she is finally too angry to form coherent sentences.

Rhyeline's brows furrow at the man who silences Rena's voice. With a flick of her own wand, she cries softly, "Expelliarmus!" The wizard's wand leaps out of his hand, spins in the air and lands somewhere in the crowd. "Hey!" he shouts angrily before diving for it. He jostles and shoves his way through, stiring up even more shouting. This is turning ugly.

"Oh. Jolly good. Silencing those you don't like the opinion of. That'll be of great help!" Unetta sighs. She pulls out her wand, points it at Rena, and says, "Sonorus!" while performing the proper wand movements. "There you go, Miss. That should fix you up right as rain." She smiles, though looks around for who could've performed the silencing charm on her. Though it seems he was already taken care of. "If we cannot work together in peace, despite our differences, then we can certainly not bring our presence into the light of day, in regards to muggles, as a whole, knowing of our existance. If you are petty enough to silence the valid opinions of others, we are no better than those you claim to be superior to!" She shakes her head in sadness. "Being petty is never the right choice. Kindness, understanding, peace, that is what we should strive for. Not control over those who are different!"

Rena… without a voice. It's like taking the song away from a bird. In the back of her mind, she knows that it's a temporary thing, but her face becomes paralyzed by literal, unspeakable fear for a moment. Panicked by the horrible feeling, she staggers back. Her foot slips on the wet wood below her feet, and she stumbles, falling to the ground. She is so terrified by the initial shock of it all that she does not immediately realize that some kind witch in the crowd actually restored her.
Before anything else can happen, a loud whistling can be heard coming from two directions. Uniformed Hitwitches are approaching the scene with their wands drawn. They don't look to be in a very good humor, and the crowd duly begins parting and scattering before them.

However, one young fool - the pale-haired friend - doesn't know when to stop making sport of things. Shelley and Untetta's remarks rolls off like water from a duck's back and the approaching authorities mean nothing. He whirls on Kenneth as the object of so much derision, angrily cutting through the air with his wand: "Flipendo!"

Shelley steps forward now - smiling at Unetta. "Cousin," she greets her casually, before stepping up onto the makeshift stage beside Rena. "I want to make one thing clear. Well - maybe a few things. I'm Shelley Prewett. You all know my family, what it stands for. And I'm an Auror.
"And I'm telling you this. If you choose Grindelwald, you are choosing war, and we will not escape from it unscathed. People you know, people you love, people you care about will /die/. Others will live through pain and come through it scarred and broken. None of us will be safe - not our families, and not our children. That is what war means. And the odds that this very street we stand on, and the businesses we frequent, will escape unscathed is quite small.
"I know death, and pain, and horror. I don't want that for our society, or theirs. So consider wisely before you choose an action that cannot be undone."
And then the scene starts unraveling at the seams. "Well. This has gone well. We should definitely do it again." She looks momentarily torn between helping Kenneth and Rena - are they both alright?

Rhyeline hurries to Rena's side and crouches beside her friend. Wand still held tight, the girl tries to tuck herself beneath Rena's arm and help her to stand. She casts a fearful look at the crowd that is fast turning into a mob. Distracted with helping up Rena, Rhyeline isn't there to block the knockback jinx that heads straight for Kenneth.

Kenneth looks to the old woman, then to Unetta. "Exactly my point. Peaceful coexistence and understanding or leave things as they are. The Muggles don't know you are here, why tip them off. You are not hiding from us; you are keeping to yourselves to protect your way of life. I can respect that." The liaison comes to stand at the Captain's elbow, whispering that now might be a good time to leave, since the wands are out and spells are flying and he is basically unarmed and out gunned.
For a moment, Kenneth nods and almost turns to leave when he sees Rena start to go down. Distracted, he never hears or sees the attack and feels himself hit in the chest, almost like being pushed by some giant unseen hand. His feet fly out from under him as he flies back and hits the barrels and crates behind him. With an audible sound thunk, he hits solidly and ends up half reclining on the barrel he landed upon. "Damn" is all he utters.

A small smile is offered to Shelley. "Lovely to see you, Shelley." Despite the unpleasantness happening around them. This time, she pipes down, listening to what's going on…until the falling down of Rena. That can't have been pleasant. And what of the muggle? Is he really a muggle? How fascinating! How often do muggles appear in Diagon Alley? It's an oddity, certainly. But something that has her attention. Oh wait…he's talking to her! And then he's leaving…and then falling down because of a spell. "Oh, now things are certainly getting exciting! But…" She closes the distance between her and the man who used the spell on Kenneth. Tapping him on the shoulder, she says, "That wasn't very nice!" And with that, a curled up fist raises and clocks him right in the jaw.

With Rena attended to, Shelley hops back down and moves towards Kenneth, offering the man a hand. "You alright, sir?" she asks with polite concern. "I'm hoping yes - because I don't know a single bit of healing magic." She gives the man an apologetic look, trusting the Hitwizards to do their job. After all - nothing worse than the usual sort of Hogwarts hijinx has happened yet. Silencio and flippendo? Really?
Wait - did her cousin just- yes, yes she did. "And then that happened…"

"That's enough!" A hitwitch barks. However, she hasn't a chance to take down the idiot youth. Unetta manages him quite smartly. He never saw it coming… POW! And with that, he collapses on the ground; blood dripping from his lip. Subdued and disarmed, he is subsequently packed off to cool off for the night in jail for his actions; and Unetta is duly thanked for her timely contribution.
Dismayed, Rena inexplicably finds that her voice has returned to her in all the confusion, because she cries out when Kenneth is struck by the invisible blow. Even as Rhyeline helps her to stand, she half-drags the other girl with her: "Captain! Oh, Kenneth, are you alright?" She asks, despondently, joining Shelley by his side.

Rhyeline squeaks as Rena surges towards Kenneth and pulls her with. "We- we should go…" she murmurs, glancing nervously from Shelley to Kenneth and his ineffective liason to Rena. "It's still not safe here." Although the hitwizards are breaking up the crowd before it can become a full-fledged mob, there is still a lot of angry shouting.

Kenneth finds his liaison at his elbow and a pretty girl at his other elbow. Ok. so this is not so bad. Giving his head a bit of a shake, he blinks a few times, then tentatively moves his arms, shoulders, neck and body. "I seem to be hale and whole, thanks. Muggles are a bit tougher perhaps than he thought we might be." He smiles at Shelley. "Thank you." He sees Rena get up with the other woman's help and accepts help to get on his feet. "I think you might be correct, it does seem like time to regroup."

"I'd say it's time for a drink well earned," Shelley suggests with some amusement. "I'm glad you're alright, though. Unetta - how's your fist? Didn't fracture anything on his jaw, did you?" She seems far less concerned than the others about the possibility of danger from this little bit of excitement.
Yup. Paranoid when there's no danger - blasé when there's genuine reason for concern.

Rena stares at Rhyeline and looks uncertainly around herself. The crowd is almost in mayhem, despite the control of the Hitwizards doing their jobs with precision. Nobody else wants to be caught up in the dragnet, and a lot of people are running helter-skelter. "You're right, luv. Best run for it." But… where? She panics for an instant, looking in every direction quickly.
The way to the Residential alley is relatively open compared to the rest. "Quick! Follow me! My house!" She pants, now really pulling Rhyeline with her, and grabbing Kenneth's hand as well. Whoever decides to follow had best make up their mind quickly. Shelley, however, does know that there are no strong spirits in Rena's home. At All.

Seeming happy with the help she provided, Unetta approaches somewhere inbetween where Rena is and where Kenneth is. "I hope the two of you will survive? I'd hate to think that the two of you are worse off and I only gave that young man one punch to the face." She doesn't even know them, really, but she likes their style. "And I'm glad you're alright, Shelley. Can't have my favourite auror getting hurt! But yes, I'm fine." She says cheerfully, waving her hand a little bit. "Just gotta brush it off. I keep forgetting how hard faces actually are." She grins slyly. "Now, is there anything else I can do to help?" And that is answered quickly enough with the mention of following this red-head to her house. She might as well follow, just to make sure there's nothing else she can do to help.

"But… the drinks are at the Cauldron!" Shelley complains as she follows after the group, letting out a loud sigh. "Rena, you're killing me here. Really."

A strange, motley crew is seen retreating from the mayhem their little ginger-haired leader seemed to have caused in Daigon Alley. Several witches accompanied by a military man in uniform, all darting down the resident road and quickly removing themselves from the scene.
One thing is for damn sure… the evening wasn't a dull one.

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