Flight Of The Broom-Bees PV

୨⎯ It Smells! ⎯୧

A birthday present with a condition on it seemed silly to some, but to Ava it made sense.

She wasn’t just going to gift an expensive broom (courtesy of her newfound wealth) for it to never be used! There had to be some check-ins to guarantee the broom was getting used properly, and after months of flying solo…

It wouldn’t be so bad to have a flying partner. Or maybe she was just getting lonely after the long summer and relative silence she and her best friend, Charlie, were having. While she had befriended Colin over the last summer, they were in some weird in between state where everything was awkward in a way.

The chill of November had imposed on the cheery weather of Hogwarts, and each day the grounds grew more and more quiet. She knew from experience that riding through the corridors, even during the night still meant there were going to be people. Because of that, racers and fliers alike still had to brave the cold weather, donning more layers to protect from the cold and the wind.

Her own outfit consisted of her usual practice clothes and new leather jackets bought (also with her newfound wealth) in hopes of protecting her from the fierce gales. Her entrance was, as usual, spectacular. A little flight show was the best way to ‘wow’ Emily into practicing without complaint, which was exactly what she planned to do.

Zooming across the sky at her broom’s top speed, Ava waited until she had neared the dot she assumed was Emily (it was hard to tell when you were up so far from the ground) before she dove, spiraling towards the ground before tugging her broom upward to narrowly avoid the frosted grass.

She dismounted and swung her broom around to tuck it under her arm and face Emily before dipping into a bow. Spectacular entrance, indeed.

"Ready to learn how to fly?" Ava finished with a smirk, trying to keep her own pride and shock off of her face. She hadn’t been sure if she would be able to pull of the maneuver, and somehow she had. She had practiced it a few times but she usually ended up with a mouthful of grass.

@Emily Shephard . November 25 . @Colin McCoire, @Charlie Jacobsen

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
"Practicing" With @Ava Winchect

Oh boy. Was this it? Was doomsday upon her?

Emily spotted something in the air amidst her panicking. She so desperately hoped it wasn't her but alas, destiny had indeed come to her doorstep at last when her figure got closer and became clearer.

It was indeed her.

Ava Winchect was on the horizon. And pretty soon she was metres away from where the Huffie was standing, hiding behind the broom in case they were going to have a repeat of that incident from last year.

To Emily's relief, Ava didn't crash into her, instead flamboyantly hopping off her broom like it was nothing. Again, a sign that a model flyer didn't need to be here.

Emily kept behind her broom as Ava flourished. She even somehow seemed better dressed than Emily was, who was wearing no more than a baselayer and a gilet over the top, with leggings and trainers below. Or maybe Ava just gave off the "cool vibe"much better than Emily ever will.

Ava's little bow had Emily raise an eyebrow. Just because she was proud for not crashing into her now didn't mean she was out of hot water yet. There was still ample time for Ava to turn around at the last second and blanch the young badger.

Emily would flipendo her half a mile across the field if she did. Because if Emily had learnt anything from her first official duel, it was that she had gotten very good at flipendo-ing people! That's if she didn't incendio her first... She had gotten very good at that too!

"Ready to learn how to fly?"

No! No, no, no! Nononononono--!

"Y-yes..." the badger squeaked.

... No!

_{Word Count: 310}

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

There they were!

Colin caught sight of the pair of them at last. The Basilisk and the Badger. One a rather graceful flier and fellow racer. The other ... Well, let's just say the other poor kid looked like she was better suited to life spent firmly planted on the ground! He smirked as he watched the scene from above and some distance away. Ava had mentioned something about teaching a badger to fly or something. And now she was literally zooming in towards Emily. She'd become quite graceful on her broom and Colin was sure she'd be a great racer if she kept at it.

His heart thumped!

He wasn't sure if it was the memory of their kiss or of their races or their team practice or just being high up in the air sat on a broom stick held aloft by that most aetherial of essences --- magic! Without it, Colin knew that he would plummet to his death, breaking all his bones on the hard earth below, smashing the life out of him. Ah! But up here! He was alive! The cool air filled his lungs and caressed his body. Ava had very beautifully dismounted and gave Emily a bow.

He made a decision.

With a devilish grin, Colin tipped Vailerama's nose down. His long pale hair and his shirt flapped about as he picked up speed! Just in ordinary flight, the Silver Arrow was capable of speeds over seventy miles an hour! Heading straight towards Emily Shephard, Colin reckoned that he might top seventy-five or eighty!

"WOOOOOOOOOOOO!! WOTCHA LASSIES!!!!" he cried out merrily as, at the very last second, he ditched and made a flying leap at his Hufflepuff friend. "GOTCHA!" he cried as he tackled! Colin rolled on the grass, laughing as his broom slowed to a hovering halt not twenty feet away! He sat up, shirt and kilt disheveled and long pale hair in utter disarray!

"I heard my dear housemate is gonna teach ye how to fly! I just had to tag along for the fun of it! Isn't flying the best thing ever, Emmi? I know Ava loves flying --- she's a grand racer!" Colin's eyes practically gleamed. Even when he wasn't sure about her, back when they hated each other, he was still very proud of her. Now that they were friends, he could at last say so! "Come on! Up lass! On yer broom!"

Colin leapt up and trotted over to Vailerama and sat down on the hovering broom shaft. "So! What's yer broom's name? This is Vailerama. He's a bloody piece of work, when he's trying to give me a whack between me legs; but usually he's a good broom and is fast!"

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
1

Emily’s timid nature made Ava laugh a little as the badger stuttered and her ‘yes’ was clearly a ‘no I will never get on that flying death machine with you’. Before they could get any further, some flying lunatic came yelling at top speed on a broom she had come to recognize well.

If the glint of the broom’s handle and sleek build hadn’t given it away, the voice shouting at the two girls would’ve. It seemed the snake was flying straight towards them, but unlike Ava he didn’t seem to be close to slowing down! He narrowly avoided crashing his broom, but couldn’t avoid crashing into Emily, which she was beginning to suspect was his plan all along.

Colin McCoire, speak of the racer for the job. His white hair flapped in the light breeze as her eyes were drawn to his brilliant green ones. She only allowed herself to stare for a second, blush for another and focus on controlling her abilities for the third. She could not have her hair turning weird colors around these two, she had no doubt they would tease her relentlessly!

Ava averted her eyes to a much more familiar object, his broom. Most of the team had Silver Arrows, but his was way more beat up than others. There was something about the broom that screamed ‘this is Colin McCoire’s broom!!!’.

He was chattering away about his discovery of their plans, and then there was something about Ava being a ‘grand racer’ that made her face heat up. She had no doubt her hair was filled with streaks of pink by now. She ducked away and focused on mounting her broom near Colin. When she had finally composed herself enough that she thought she could speak she flashed a grin to Emily. “The real racer here is Colin, though. You should see him on the course!”

Colin mounted his broom next to them and she couldn’t help but give him a crazy side-eye. He had named his broom? It sounded completely lunatic to her. “Escape while you can,” she stage whispered to Emily, smirking at she took off from the ground to fly lazy circles around Emily.

“You’re taking flying classes this year, right? Those were always fun.” she mused, adding a bit more flair to her flying as she continued to circle.

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Coming In Hot "Groose" Style! With @Ava Winchect and @Colin McCoire

Ava could read Emily clear as day. She wasn't ready. And Emily was going to make dang sure her feet didn't lift up off the ground. Not even once. Duelling already ended up kind of being one of the worst life decisions Emily ever made. She didn't want to add flying to the list either. Flying kept within the boundaries of lessons. Nothing more! Those were a chore to get through by themselves!

The mere thought of leaving the ground on something she was barely good at in the first place made her shiver even more. She tightened her grip on the broom in silent protest. No way would she ever get on that broom. Not ever in a million years. Never, ever, ever--!

"WOOOOOOOOOOOO!! WOTCHA LASSIES!!!!"

Uh oh.

Emily all of a sudden became paralysed. That voice was far too familiar, and all too inescapable at this point. Still, its presence never went without a smash either. A quick turn of her head confirmed it as well and all the hairs across Emily's body became taut with panic.

Colin McCoire. On a broom. Not even going as fast as a bullet. He came in like a torpedo!

And after the last couple encounters with each other, the target was obvious.

Emily mewled as she began charging away as he got closer. Getting bombed by Colin but one thing but she didn't want to stick around and find out how it would feel with his broom jabbed into her either. However, anyone who knew Colin would know that he had an incomprehensible knack for speed. Ultimately, her efforts were in vain from the start. She only managed to make about eight paces away - if that! - before the wild card pounced on her like a dog to a roast.

"GOTCHA!"

"KYAA- PHEFF!"

Colin and Emily hit the ground hard, with Emily landing on her front as all the wind was pushed out of her from Colin's weight. Colin's arm pinned her neck and upper back in place while the rest of him managed to wring her in as he rolled over across the grass.

Amidst Colin's glee, Emily wriggled to get out of his grip, her legs kicking up and down as if to try and grease her way out of him.

"Colin-- Too heavy-- Can't breathe--!" Eventually she squirmed out from underneath him when he gave way. Colin had only just got here and he already looked like he had just dug himself out of a hole in the ground, with grass stains and dirt plaguing his attire. If Tavra had come by, she'd probably mistake him for a new home!

Emily stumbled back onto her feet, now reduced to that of a startled deer, her own clothes lined with remnants of the earth as she did her best to dust herself off. Of course Colin would want in on this. How was it that these two were a magnet for trouble? Emily was ready to melt into the earth's surface just from panic alone.

Emily was probably better off in hindsight making off with the broom as soon as Ava gave it to her!

On that note, Colin's Vailerama did look quite spectacular. Clearly one that's been well kept and groomed with experience. Ava's was the same, though Emily did feel like she was rubbing it in as she began to fly circles around the Huffie like it was nothing.

Emily's mood soured. Now they're just taking the piss. Well, there was a mix of that and envy as she felt the steam of expertise radiate off the pair of them. Though that wasn't the only thing. At one point while Colin was talking, Ava's face had a colour on it that Emily had seen but never quite knew what to call it. Even her hair was doing that thing it did back when she first gave Emily her broom. Emily was figuring that there was some unspoken history between these two. Go figure, trouble always attracts more trouble...

Colin was busy singing praises about his broom while Emily was looking down at hers, occasionally making her quirk a smile at some of his storytelling.

"Brooms have names...?" she wondered genuinely. "I suppose I better think of a good one then..." If naming brooms was somehow a key to better flying then she'd take it.

She realised she was keeping the two waiting, mounted and ready to take off. She flinched when it was her turn.

"Oh..."

She mounted her own, the same way they had. The soles of her feet remained glued to the ground and she gripped the nose of the broom hard that her hands were starting to turn white.

Emily gulped. She had a strong feeling things would only get steadily worse from here.

_{Word Count: 838}

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

Ava circled them on her broom.

Emily asked if brooms really have names.

"Well! Of course they have names, Emmi! How can they not? Wands too, for that matter! Wait. Please don't tell me you didn't know these things!" Colin buried his face in his hand dramatically. He felt like he was trying to explain a very basic and very obvious fact of life to a Muggle. "I mean, yer wand is practically a person, right? Same with a broom. Mind of his own, this one, half the time. Stands to reason they should have names." He glanced over towards Ava. "I bet Ava has a really cute name for her broom!" He smirked, wondering if her hair would flair pink this time. He of course would never say anything about it, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and get a reaction out of his fellow ophidian!

Colin wondered. Emily was dawdling, not quite on her broom. It seemed like maybe she didn't quite want to fly? How could that even be!? He could understand a little first time jitters. Maybe Emily had never really flown before?

"Come on Emmi! Up you go! Flying is much easier when ye're on yer broom! We'll have ye flying high in no time! Ava! Give the badger a shove! That'll get the old besom airborne!"

Colin kicked off and began circling the two. "Or maybe a bit of levitation is all she needs?" Colin smirked. "Once ye're up, it can only get better from there, Em! The broom does all the work, really, you just have to not fall off!"

@Ava Winchect | @Emily Shephard

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
1 2

"I bet Ava has a really cute name for her broom!" Colin announced, prompting a shrug from her. Did she have a name for her broom? No. But neither of them needed to know that.

"It’s not cute but…Athena," she decided. That was her middle name, and it seemed fitting for the broom. It sounded very Ravenclaw-esc, but her broom seemed to lift her just a little bit higher than it had before. Athena is was. She smirked.

"I suppose I better think of a good one then..."

"I bet that’s the reason why Colin’s broom is so…" She paused and cast a side-eye to the beat-up broom. "crazy. I reckon he’s the reason we’ve lost all the races we have. He chose a crazy name!"

She was only joking, of course. She couldn’t speak knowledgeably on the topic when she had only heard about the crazy idea a few minutes ago. She decided she would ponder on the idea later, as Colin had mounted his broom and was watching Emily expectantly. Ava mustered her best intimidating stare and turned it on Emily, willing the badger’s feet to leave the ground so they wouldn’t have to do any of the options Colin was offering.

Ava wouldn’t mind a bit of casting practice, though… Maybe she ought to blast to Huffie off the ground and into the air!

"You probably can’t do much damage to yourself when you’re just flying." Unless she fell from the broom, hit something or caught a particularly strong gale. "It’s not like we -- I plan on practicing racing strategy on you."

Once the badger got the first rush of adrenaline, Ava had no doubt her new broom would eagerly help her reach new heights.

And if Emily still weren’t convinced, Ava would add: "It would probably make exploring the forest more fun."

Ava took off from her hover, launching into the sky. She couldn’t force Emily to join her in the sky, and she knew Colin would be a lot better at the convincing part of the job.

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
"Up" And At 'Em With @Ava Winchect and @Colin McCoire

Emily was shaking like a leaf in a storm as she remained parked firmly on the ground with her mounted broom. Getting a lesson - or "practice" - with two of the biggest troublemakers in the school was like combining tequila and driving. She inhaled deeply and exhaled shakily.

"I can't do this..." She muttered quietly. Emily was bookish, not a broom racer. She was a nature lover, not a fighter... Except in self defence, which she had yet to be put through. She was soft spoken, not speedy. None of that seemed compatible with Ava's wit, Colin's endurance or their combined prowess with anything Emily was practically weaker in.

In other words, Emily's insecurities dominated her when she was more than several paces away from anything she found comfort in and the stench of it reeked around her. The worst part was that it was blatantly obvious.

She sighed.

"It’s not cute but…Athena."

Oh. That got Emily's attention. It even made her smile some. "The Greek Goddess of wisdom and craft." Mythology and folklore was Emily's bread and butter in life. How ironic it was that Ava sparked that familiarity into the conversation. It even sounded oddly fitting for Ava's broom, heck even Ava herself. Well, the craft part, maybe. She was indeed crafty. Wisdom however was... Not the first thing that would pop into Emily's head though when she'd think of her.

Vailerama on the other hand... Emily hadn't heard that word before. She made a mental note to look it up later. She'd probably find it in one of her books on etymology.

"You probably can’t do much damage to yourself when you’re just flying."

Oh ho. Ava could bet on that.

Emily laughed hollowly, her tone matter-of-factly. "Last time I tried flying, I lost my nerve and nearly slid off. I thought I'd be dangling from the dang thing, or worse..." "Break her neck" was what she could've added on but didn't dare if it meant jinxing her already slim chance of success.

"It would probably make exploring the forest more fun."

Good God, Ava Winchect just doesn't know when to quit. Tiding Emily with the forest was guaranteed to make Emily reconsider. It was a place Emily was familiar with, if anything. That crafty, too-good-at-yapping-for-her-own-good Slytherin!

Swallowing her shakes and nerves, Emily kicked up off the ground. Getting up into the air wasn't the most frightening thing for her flying a broom. The actual flying bit however... Well, all she could do was cross her toes that she didn't have a repeat of last year's flying lesson.

She looked at Colin and Ava, almost half expecting congratulations for getting on and up in the first place. It would be a cold day in the dungeons before Emily would be casted up into the air by a wand's force as Colin and Ava had teased.

"There... I'm up." She said reservedly.

_{Word Count: 521}

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

Colin McCoire wrote: 7 Dec 2024, 11:28

Colin smirked as he teased Ava about giving her broom a cute name.

He gasped when she revealed what her name actually was! Colin's eyes widened and his heart thumped. Athena!? Emily began her recitation of the Greek goddess of that name. Colin, had visions of another Athena in mind! "Whoa. Athena!" Colin visibly relaxed on his broom, looking down towards the grass. "She was a good snogger," Colin said softly. "I mean!" he looked up quickly. "Er! I mean! A good friend! Yes. A very good friend, was Athena. Whoa. Hufflepuff, actually. She was in my year --- before she disappeared..."

His expression completely changed when Ava blamed him for the Curse of the Basilisks. "And you very well, Ava Winchect, that it's not all my fault we lose all our races!" Colin sat up straight, his left finger pointing up as if reciting some gravely important detail of the Great Goblin Revolt of November 1397 in History of Magic class. "As a matter of fact, the Brisk Basilisks have never won a single race! We're famous for it! It's the Curse of the Basilisks, Emmi! No matter what we do, we end up in hospital practically dead! I say! The only time we ever came close to winning was against Hufflepuff, and that was the time we all got eaten by a whole forest!" Colin's eyes widened as he recounted the tale of breakneck speeds and blood spattering and spells flying in every direction! "It was grand, Emmi! I got impaled! But we all ended up in hospital and Head Master Lear declared it a tie! Flying is so much fun!"

For some reason, Emily Shephard, Badger Extraordinaire, did not seem convinced that flying was as grand as they'd made it out to be. Colin shot a side glance towards Ava. He was on the verge of just casting the levitation spell on Emmi's broom when Ava came up with the single most brilliant tactic ever!

"It would probably make exploring the forest more fun."

Colin could have kissed Ava all over again! Maybe it was wolf in him, but he'd never even considered the possibilities of exploring the forbidden forest from his broom! The lake, sure! The higher hill country, absolutely! Racing the corridors of the castle, yes! But the Forest... Colin blinked as the possibilities opened up in his mind.

Even Emily seemed to be on the brink of being convinced!

"Right?" Colin agreed at last. 'Think about it! We could zoom in and meet some swooping evils face to face! That's brilliant Ava! We should have thought of that when we were in the forest last time!"

Colin zoomed around in a broad arc before snugging in close to Emmi, putting his arm around her shoulder to steady her on her broom, yes, but also to make sure she wouldn't wig out and drop back to the ground. "Come on Ava! Let's race Emmi!"

@Ava Winchect | @Emily Shephard