Finished Thanks, I Think? PV Ava Winchect

୨⎯ Thanks, I Think? ⎯୧

After the news at the end of the summer, it had become a struggle to hang out with others. She wasn’t just a loner, she was a girl, wallowing in self-pity and unwilling to change. Her first thought when meeting new people was ‘I wonder what their parentage is? Are they pureblood?’. It was unhealthy, and draining. She had discovered it was Emily’s birthday, and Emily was someone who was becoming more common in Ava’s everyday life. While she was unwilling to go to the birthday party for Emily and another girl Ava wasn’t close to, she was willing to throw her own party of sorts.

Ava was dressed simply, a white sweatshirt paired with some black shorts, an outfit matching the time between seasons, not quite summer and not quite fall. She had planned to meet by the lake, which Ava had become obsessed with during the first weeks of school, and as she approached the lake with her broom and a similar looking parcel in hand, she was grateful for the scenery. Unshockingly, Emily had already arrived, and was clearly awaiting another person’s arrival. She wasn’t sure how good her balance on her broom would be with the large gift Ava had brought for Emily, but she mounted the broom and took off from the ground, racing towards the Hufflepuff student.

When her precarious balance on the broom sent her tipping sideways straight towards the water with no obvious way for the flight not to end in a crash, Ava decided she was probably better off on foot for any matters other than broom racing. With her broom picking up speed, Ava was over the water in seconds, crashing into the previously glassy surface and leaving her immediately soaked, as well as Emily’s gift. As quick as she could, she raised the large gift out of the water and used her legs to push off the lake bottom, and she was immediately greeted by the sight of the brown paper Ava had used to wrap the broom tearing off the gift in wet pieces, revealing parts of the previously hidden gift, a Nimbus 1500. Ava grabbed a hold of her own Nimbus and started swimming towards the shore, until the bottom leveled out and she could touch again. “Happy birthday?” Ava said nervously, holding up the exposed gift.

@Emily Shephard . September 08 . before dinner

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
It's A Broom! From @Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics

And voila. She arrived. The Slytherin Scamp herself. Emily couldn't help the small steely feeling in her back as she straightened and stiffened up when Ava approached her. It was really a toss of the odds to see how "well" an encounter with someone like Ava could go; it could go smooth or Emily might just find herself in the lake one way or another. Ava had her ways. A lot of them.

Though there was an air of bizarre intrigue as Ava got closer. At first Emily panicked when she saw her glide along the waters on her broom. That brought immediate call-backs to their first meeting. Emily could almost feel the ache in her sides and shoulders from back then when Ava crashed into her in the corridors all that time ago. She was a swift flyer - an understatement compared to the incident itself.

She caught sight of something in Ava's hands as she rode. Something large. Almost as large as her broom. Emily cocked her head when Ava hit the water surface, whatever she was carrying submerged under the lake before she eventually made it to shore, the remnants of the lake shaking off Ava's broom and her mystery item. Small droplets splashed onto Emily's shirt, not that she was too bothered. Better that than getting soaked in the lake head-on.

Emily swallowed. Well, they were both here now. She was curious over what in the Earth Ava was carrying though. Whatever it was, it was dripping in soggy brown wrapping paper that was meant to conceal its contents. Up close it really did seem as big as Ava's own broom.

Wait.

"Happy Birthday?" Wow. It was strange to see Ava so... shy. It was not her style. Not the style Emily was used to anyway. But ever the gracious person she was, she accepted Ava's gift. It felt hefty in her arms. And weirdly long... Like a broom.

Emily picked away at the disintegrating wrapping to indeed find a broom in her midst. Her brows immediately raised up. Ava was seriously giving her a broom...?! Emily gave it a quick once-over - she was expecting it to be jinxed or cursed. Maybe her hands will get stuck to the broom, or perhaps she'll get buckaroo-d into the lake as soon as she mounts it. But it was just a bog-standard Nimbus 1500 - so it wasn't even bog-standard! It was quite spectacular for someone like Emily.

"This is for me...? But... This looks so brand new... It must've cost a fortune...! I--I can't take this! It's too good for... Someone like me..." Emily wasn't a confident flyer. She was already mad for putting her name down for the Hufflepuff Duel Team! So much for being a hugger, not a fighter... At the same time, it was an impressive looking broom.

Her weight tipped forward into a small grateful bow. "Thank you..."

_{Word Count: 521}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

୨⎯ Thanks, I Think? ⎯୧
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Ava dropped her own broom to the ground near her feet and folded her arms over her chest after Emily accepted the gift, watching expectantly for a reaction, as she so often did. The moment that the badger realized what the gift was, a look of utter shock crossed her face, bringing a grin to Ava’s face as the badger scrutinized the gift. Not just a grin, a warm feeling in her stomach. Her pranks brought temporary amusement, but Ava knew that whenever she would look back on this moment, she would feel this same…pride? When she looked back on her mischief, she usually just felt a mixture of guilt and regret.

The guilt of crashing into Emily was what had led her to purchase this gift in the first place, and her newfound wealth in wake of her mother’s letters. The letters had contained a key to a vault at Gringotts, and within that vault was the fortune her mother had left behind. How the money had been acquired by her mother, she had to assume it was one of the perks of being a pureblood.

"That is for you and, uh-" she tripped over her words for a moment before she managed an apology, and the apology itself was exhaled in less than a breath. "er, I’msorryforhittingyouwithmybroom." She blushed slightly, and the color was reflected in her hair for a moment. By the time the school year had arrived, it seemed her new found understanding of her talent had led to her metamorphmagus abilities to surface at every emotion. Alternately, she was just experiencing a lot of big feelings.

"It’s nothing," Ava declared with a small shrug, banishing all thoughts that weren’t good enough for her ‘I’m cool and I don’t care’ persona. She lightly kicked her own broom, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

@Emily Shephard . September 08 . before dinner

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
A Gift for Broom Racing, By A Broom Racer with @Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes: Thank you so much for the galleons!

Emily was still soaking up the sight of the broom in her hands while Ava continued to stand there, unsure of herself. Emily had been looking down at the gift like she had just upturned gold or something, still reeling over the fact that Ava Winchect - arguably the most magnificent troublemaker she has ever seen - had gone out of her way to give her a fantastic looking broom for her birthday, and for being so genuine about it too. So what was truly the bigger surprise here? The broom or Ava's attitude?

It would be the latter as Emily would soon see for herself, when she watched Ava's hair tinge a small shade of pink as she scrunched up her face, and through a tremendous exhale, Emily just about caught the gist of what sounded like an apology stumble out of her mouth. Could it be? Was she apologising for the crash incident? Emily's eyes sparkled, impressed with Ava's sense of honour. It took her long enough after how painful it was, but as they say... Better late than never.

"It's okay... Just remember to save broom riding for the track... Miss Prefect," Emily smiled waywardly. Quite a twist in the tale this was... Ava giving Emily a (not jinxed) broom as a birthday gift and then apologising for the base of their first meeting together. Not forgetting that Ava's locks were changing colours like it was the work of some magic hair-dye. Actually, wasn't there a name for something like this?

Emily looked down at the ground shyly before returning her look back to meet her face. "You know... You're actually pretty cool when you're not causing trouble...!"

_{Word Count: 332}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

୨⎯ Thanks, I Think? ⎯୧
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Ava offered a sly grin at Emily and the mention of their first meeting, which had occurred after Ava had tried her best to impersonate the fifth year Opeila. It hadn’t worked, unshockingly. “Riding on the practice field is boring. Nothing like weaving through students, you’ll see.” Ava announced, glancing at her own broom and stooping down to grab it. “Part of the deal of getting that broom is that you have to practice with me. Please.”

It got tiresome, constantly practicing on her own. Sure, she practiced with her team occasionally but when she individually practiced, it usually ended with her leaving disappointed. She wanted to be the best she could be on the field, but she found it difficult to motivate herself when she was alone. But that wasn’t the only reason she had purchased the broom, she wasn’t just self serving.

She noticed Emily’s glance to her hair and nervously grabbed it, doing her best to hide the strands that had turned pink, and shifting even more hair to that color in the act of hiding the strands that had already changed. Her cheeks flushed as she blushed at her ability acting up yet again. Emily’s words only caused her to blush more, changing her eyes to a similar shade of pink to her hair.

“I…thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” she admitted. She shook her head, trying to clear any lingering embarrassment from the conversation. “I’m even more fun when I am causing trouble. I’ll drag you into sometime, you’ll see!”

@Emily Shephard . September 08 . before dinner

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
A Gift for Broom Racing, By A Broom Racer with @Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes:

Honestly, Emily didn't expect anything less of an answer when Ava responded to her. Ava really did appear to be one to do the opposite of what she was told; so riding indoors in the corridors as opposed to the track as one would expect out of common sense felt very characteristic of her the longer Emily let that feeling sunk in.

"Careful... I wouldn't let AngelFyre let you hear that..." Though that felt more like a biased opinion since she thought AngelFyre was a pretty good broom racer herself. Her and Simon were the dream team on the track as far as Hufflepuff rumours went. And that was before Emily brought up their inseparable hard work as Prefects themselves.

Though Emily lost all sense of speech when Ava dropped the bombshell of her conditon; Brrom racing practice.

Two things. Number one... Classic Ava for stamping conditions onto a birthday present to the person she ran over in the first place, of all things. And number two... What was Ava talking about? Practice? Broom racing??

"Wh-eehh??" Emily started getting nervous again. "I--I'm barely a decent flyer as it is in class! I can't race on a broom...!" Sure, the word "Practice" was in the details but Emily didn't know the first thing about bobbing and weaving through trees, fog and Red Caps. If anything, she would trip over the hecking thing before she would ever get a chance to mount it.

Though Emily managed to bite back with her compliment and catch Ava off - kind of - it still didn't quite do enough to quell the promise that Emily would be able to evade trouble whenever they would bump into each other; may that be metaphorically or literally, like last time.

"I'll... Watch you from the side-lines," she laughed nervously. "Besides, surely it gets egregious getting caught when you do get in trouble, right? So why go through all the trouble in the first place when it might end in vain...?"

Now, Emily had technically broken a rule or two; sneaking off into Hogsmeade to end up coming back with a fancy cloak, and then using aforementioned cloak to make countless runs into a forest of a forbidden variety (not that she'd dare admit it to any student or staff), but Emily had the gut feeling that none of that would be anywhere near as harrowing as whatever activities Ava got up to in her free time that would land her in trouble.

At least, she didn't think so. Did she?

_{Word Count: 467}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

୨⎯ Thanks, I Think? ⎯୧
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Ava grinned. “There’s no way you’re that bad! And even if you are, a little practice can change anything!”

Ava could say that from firsthand experience, based off her experiences in classes. Sure, she wasn’t the best student, but she was also a hard worker! When she really set her mind to tasks, like she had with transfiguration, she could go a considerable length. So much so that she had crossed into the next year’s spells with her extensive reading on the subject.

All it would take was a bit of adrenaline pumping through the badger’s veins before she would become hooked on the sport, just like Ava had. There was something so freeing about feeling the wind rush past you as you soar through the sky. Sure, adding in the obstacles added a level of danger to it, but nothing could be perfect.

Watch on the sidelines? Fat chance.

“Psh. I’ll have you in the air in no time, you’ll see. And there’s no sidelines when you’re outside of the stadium!” Ava shook her head, trying her best to understand what Emily was fearing. Crashing was only a chance if you weren’t good at flying.

Why go through the trouble of breaking the rules if she may get caught? Ava tilted her head, considering. “Well I guess getting caught is half the thrill. It’s nice to know I’m not just another student lost in the blur of everyday life.”

Ava’s breath caught. She needed to stop talking, now. She was entering territory she hadn’t even allowed herself to explore. Some people liked to know everything about how their brain worked and how it impacted others. She was afraid of what she would find.

Because as much as she tried to deny it, her mindset was clearly similar to that of a villain.

@Emily Shephard

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
Ha! No with @Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes:

Clearly Ava hadn't heard of the time where Emily somehow nearly capsized on her broom, or the time where she nearly slid clean off while "practicing" some racing tactics in between her flying lessons. Emily wasn't built for flying. Not in the way Ava or the vast majority of other broom flyers were. Emily was discreetly but firmly trying to make a point to her that any practice Ava wants to impose on her would end in disaster.

Even when the fear in her eyes was obvious, Ava was adamant that she would get her up in the air. Emily darted behind her as a sting of unease sparked through her. She wasn't too keen on getting back on a broom any time soon, especially with someone notorious for adrenaline and a magnet for chaos.

But Ava's fascination for trouble really did seem to go deeper than Emily initially thought.

“Well I guess getting caught is half the thrill. It’s nice to know I’m not just another student lost in the blur of everyday life.”

A "thrill"...? Well, Emily could kind of see it that way in some sense. Getting caught, the chase, the evasion of incoming punishment until the inevitable happens... Though hang on, Ava said "half the thrill..." So what was the other half? The act of breaking the rules, perhaps? It was the only thing that appeared to check out.

That wasn't the only thing that intrigued Emily about Ava's statement...

"Just another student?" Emily's head tilted ninety degrees sideways. "You mean you feel noticed when you get into trouble? But surely there are less reckless ways to do that... Or at the very least, easier ways."

Emily herself was starting to become well known for her constant presence in leaving food out for the wildlife and sitting about to admire the flowers by the greenhouses. Nothing out of that screamed trouble or punishments. So why did Ava feel possessed to do the opposite? Ava was remarkable as a broom racer. She didn't seem like the type to slack off her studies either. Unless Emily was missing something, she couldn't grasp why.

"I think you should appreciate your skills a little more... You're brave and witty. And you're good with sports. I think that's enough to get attention."

_{Word Count: 419}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

୨⎯ Thanks, I Think? ⎯୧
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“Yeah, there’s other ways, but none attainable for me. I’m barely passing my classes, and I basically serve as the target for our races. I’m not as fast or as evasive as the rest of the team.” No. No. No. Alarm sirens were roaring in her head, red lights and an obvious ‘caution! do not enter’ was planted at the front of her mind. They were talking about feelings.

Time to switch gears, especially when she could hear Emily saying something about her achievements and attributes. She was tempted to jam her fingers into her ears and sing ‘Lalala I can’t hear you!’ until Emily left her alone.

She smirked instead, tilting her head to study the younger badger. She hoped she looked wise and thoughtful, when really the only thoughts raging through her mind were that they were entering a total danger zone. She’d had enough talking about her feelings over the summer, and her best strategy was to avoid such thoughts until it eventually went away. Did that usually work out for her? Not in the slightest.

“You’re not so bad yourself, hm? You’re…brave and…smart,” she mentally pinched herself, struggling to think of something wise enough to match the thought Emily had put into her own statement about Ava. “and…you’re nice! Yeah, you’re really nice. No wonder you’re a hufflepuff.”

Well that couldn’t have gone more terribly. She fidgeted nervously with her broom, searching for a new topic. “Do you do any sports?”

Wow. Now instead of talking about their feelings, she was making small talk. She wasn’t sure which was worse.

@Emily Shephard