Flight Of The Broom-Bees PV

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
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"The Greek Goddess of wisdom and craft." The badger said after a beat, a grin spreading across her face.

Colin’s reaction couldn’t be further from the opposite, staring at the ground and mumbling to himself. Maybe he was even blushing. And she was pretty sure she heard him saying something about ‘snogging’.

Rather than call him out she shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. She couldn’t help but wonder how many hidden secrets Colin had. And how many people he’d snogged.

Her accusation to Colin seemed to cause a tirade of explanation of the Slytherin curse, but she just grinned and shook her head. It was so easy to provoke him! Although something about him being impaled did sound interesting. It definitely didn’t help the badger’s nerves, though!

Her two companions were much the same, and they both got the same expression on their face when she mentioned flying around the forest. Both of their minds seemed to race with the new opportunities and unseen possibilities. All it took was for Colin to agree with her before Emily nervously raised off the ground.

Ava smirked, zooming a little closer as Colin ‘steadied’ her. If anything it only made the badger look more nervous. Or maybe that was the height.

"Come on Ava! Let's race Emmi!"

"We go on three!" Ava agreed, zooming over to line her broom up with theirs. She scanned the grounds quickly, charting a route. "First one around the lake and back wins!"

"Three…

Two…

One!"

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Ahhh! With @Ava Winchect and @Colin McCoire

While Emily was getting to grips with the fact that she was now up in the air on a broomstick she barely knew how to handle, as well as mentally preparing herself for whatever was meant to come next, she couldn't help but overhear a few words being tossed back and forth from the two Slytherins beside her.

Emily only heard enough to hear Colin talk fondly about snogging a girl before quickly backtracking on it. Emily stifled a laugh. Colin did seem like the kind of guy whom ladies would probably want to hang out with, assuming he could sit still for five minutes. Then again, didn't he have someone he liked? What was her name again...? Clara or Chloe or something like that...

Though that wasn't what stuck out the most.

"--before she disappeared..."

That sounded too familiar... Probably because it was. Emily had uncovered a few stories or so pertaining to a few lost souls from the school. Then there was Casey's brother. And then of course her and Colin's conversation of missing students way back when. A bit of a stinker to think about something as ominous as that at a time like this but some strings in Emily's brain were just tuned in such a way that it was hard not to block it out for the sake of "fun."

Not that it became an issue for much longer when the two started bickering over their losses in broom racing. That actually surprised Emily. With their... Talents, surely they would've secured a win or two here and there. On the other hand, Hufflepuff racers like Simon and AngelFyre acted a bit more put together on the course than these two if this was the kind of energy they brought to their matches. Emily wouldn't comment on that aloud though. She wasn't going to steal their thunder.

"Come on Ava! Let's race Emmi!"

Emily knew instantly she should've taken it from them anyway once Colin said that.

"What?? Hang on, we never--!"

"We go on three!" Naturally Ava was quick to the draw on agreeing with him.

"AVA! I never agreed to--!" Emily could throttle the pair of them right then and there. Did "flying" always equate to "racing" even off the track for these guys?! Heaven forbid what the two would do when on a Muggle plane then...!

"Three…"

"You said we would just--!"

"Two…"

"You're going to get me killed!!"

"One!"

CURSE THEM BOTH!

Ava and Colin took off like that. With a frustrated whine, Emily picked up speed behind them, hanging onto her broom like there was no tomorrow... Because she was very sure that there wouldn't be one for her after this.

Emily had never gone at such speed before. She couldn't tell what was the ground, sky, foliage or the castle, her surroundings lacking colour but blending them all together at the same time. Her eyes watered and her skin felt like it could rip off her face at any moment. Ava and Colin were no more than a pair of unidentifiable dots ahead of her amidst her warped vision. She felt sick but couldn't throw up. She wanted to scream but no sound came out. She couldn't feel anything, save for the rush of air and blood around her body.

She didn't have a single clue what the heck was happening whilst she was in the air. All she knew was that she was petrified.

_{Word Count: 608}

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

"OWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Colin howled for pure joy as the trio raced out over the lake, leaving behind tree and leaf. Ava was a little ahead, leading them around the course and Colin looked back to find Emily catching up. She was clearly having a grand time! He called back to her: "Isn't this grand, lassie!? Look down and see how fast ye're flying!" Tears of pure joy seemed to be streaming from her eyes. Honestly, there was almost nothing better about magic than flying!

They made their turns over the deeper parts of the lake and were now gliding along the shallower parts, closer to the castle grounds. The wind tugged at Colin's wild hair and made his shirt and kilts flap about. He decided that some trick flying was in order! "Watch this Emmi! It's easy!" He made a little hopping motion and crouched on his broom! Letting go with his hands, he balanced on his broom, surfing just above the water! "Brilliant! You'll be able to do this soon!"

"Avaaaa!! I think we need to teach Emmi all about offensive flying!" Hopefully his partner in chaos would catch on! He began to fly circles around Emily. "See, lass, one important skill in flying is called blatching! Right!? It's really easy! But! You also have to learn how to defend against being blatched!" Colin wasn't even sure if Emmi knew what blatching even was. She wasn't saying anything. "I see ye've got a strong grip on yer broom --- that's a good thing! We'll soon fix that!"

He zoomed around towards Emily's other side. "Thing about blatching is, is ye've got to be careful not to send yerself crashing to the ground! It's a good thing water is soft, eh, lass?" Colin gave Emily a broad smile before diving straight into her right side!

"OWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he howled again! "BRACE YERSELF! In three, two, one!"

BAMMM!!!

Impact was always satisfying, no matter what race course one was one! A good blatch was always top notch! And there was nothing like learning by doing!

@Emily Shephard | @Ava Winchect

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
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The crew took off on her count, Ava excited as a little thrill ran through her. Racing without the stakes was a lot more fun than she had realized before. And a lot more fun when she was racing with these two!

Colin and her took off right away, leaving Emily grumbling a few paces behind. Ava couldn’t say she blamed the badger, this was quite the excitement for her first lesson!

Wind ripped past her skin and undid her braid, leaving her hair trailing behind her, which she knew would be a nightmare to untangle later. The adrenaline pumped through her body as she leaned into her broom, continuing to gain speed as she slowly left Colin a pace behind.

When she heard the howl of thrill behind her she knew it was Colin, and she couldn’t help but let out a little ‘WHOOP!’ of her own. They sailed over the water and Ava tossed her head back, letting the cold air catch her clothes as she closed her eyes. There was nothing comparable to this feeling. In a race she would never even consider looking back at her opponents but today she did, turning to see Colin surfing over the water on his broom.

Her pause had allowed the two to catch up a bit, and she heard Colin shout something that was lost in the rush of blood in her ears. She did catch one word though: offensive. A grin tugged at her lips as she made a loop to face the two, just in time to see Colin racing toward Emily. Blatching her! The poor badger. There was no chance she would be able to stay on her broom.

Well, if Em was going in she was too! She took off flying toward Colin with a form she had practiced a few times. She didn’t see what happened to the badger before she leapt off her broom, wrapping her arms around his middle and sending them both toward the water away from their brooms as she let out an excited shout.

They crashed into the water, leaving only one thought in Ava’s mind.

COOOOLDDDD!!!!

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Cold Blood with @Ava Winchect and @Colin McCoire

She couldn't quite remember when it happened as she zoomed frightfully across the Hogwarts landscape but Emily's eyes had closed out of the sheer fear she was feeling. She was up way too high, going far too fast and neither was to her liking. Needless to say, if her Slytherin adrenaline junkies hadn't gotten it into their heads yet, them and Emily's senses of "thrill" were not at all compatible.

Much to her baited relief however, the two finally slowed down at the lake overhead. Emily squinted one eye open and sighed exasperatedly as she descended a little to join them. She muttered a nervous, "S-Slow down, please...!" to her broom and if by compliance, Emily came to a much more comfortable speed.

She gathered the confidence to look down and if hypnotised, Emily calmed down at the sight of the lake's water. She stretched her foot out and tapped the surface with her toe, a satisfying ripple waving across the water. Clean, beautiful water was a rare gem back home, what with pollution and all. A sight like the lake here was welcoming, if not soothing Emily's terrified beating heart.

Colin, still thinking he could win the Huffie over with broom antics stood up - literally! - and began "broom surfing". Emily gulped and frantically shook her head. She was glued to the ground before they started and now her hands were welded to her broom's nose. She was not going to try surfing on the bloody thing!

Though a teeny weeny part of her brain was curious to try something. More to try and impress them than them with her. A tiny bolt of courage sparked to like before she shuffled slightly on her broom and rode a large circle along the lake. Picking up just a smidge of speed she gripped the front of her broom as tight as last time and with a gentle tug, her and the broom went vertical before curving back upside down and back into position again.

Emily squeaked as she came back down from her loop-de-loop. A tiny smile of pride pricked at her lips. She was starting to get the hang of it, even whispering a little "Good job..." to the broom under her. If Colin said brooms were just as alive as humans were, then she may as well get acquainted with it like it was a new friend.

It was just a shame though that Colin's lecture on blanching went largely unheard of in the midst of Emily's little trick, with her too focused on coming down from the loop whilst Colin was yapping his mouth over something dangerous.

It was when Emily settled back at a level balance along the water that something fast and hard collided into her, like someone had just thrown a truck at her. Something that felt like an arm pressed forcefully into the spot in between her cheek and her eye, something that felt like someone's waist hit hard against her hip and a something shoulder-like knocked clean into her nose.

BWWAAPPP!!!

All together, the brute force had Emily wobble and shake unsteadily on her broom, making the Huffie scream in terror until she finally let go and plunged into the icy drink below. At the same time, Ava had tackled Colin, sending them into the lake as well.

They were the first to emerge. Emily's ribbon from her ponytail sailed up to the surface, completely waterlogged. A few bold seconds passed and Emily's head popped up from beneath the water. She coughed and spluttered while her entire body shivered violently from the cold, the terror and the impact. She was utterly soaked to the skin. A tiny small blue and black dot appeared at the edge of her eye, though thankfully missed the peeper. Fantastic. Another bruise to add to the list.

The cherry on top however was the river of blood that rushed out of Emily's nostrils. It flowed down the bridge of her lips, over her mouth and down her chin. She tried to catch the drops that pooled at the curve of her chin before they hit the water. Something so lovely that helped calmed her seconds ago didn't deserve to be tainted by her blood.

Emily struggled to breathe a little and the dropping body temperature didn't help. Her head sensed a slight buzzing from the crash. She was sore. She felt embarrassed. She wasn't "thrilled" like Ava and Colin had been the whole time they were flying.

She grabbed the broom and dejectedly reached the bank of the lake where she sat down and held it close to her. Her bloody nose now dyed her hand and nearly the whole lower half of her face and spotted her shirt.

She huddled her knees together to conserve whatever heat she could, yet the only heat she felt was the burning in her nose.

She didn't want anything except a solid five minutes to herself.

_{Word Count: 862}

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

Colin righted himself on his broom. He watched as Emily squealed with delight, tipping into the water a short distance below. "Let us know how the water is Emmi! Then we'll teach you how to get back on yer broom!" What a perfect blatch! His opponent had no idea that was coming at all! Just a precision nudge and the poor badger went right off her broom. Colin nodded, entirely proud of himself for such a well executed manoeuvre!

He would so have to blatch Clair like that next race!

"I say, AvAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

Something hurtled straight into Colin's side! Arms were wrapped around his waist and someone was shouting with joy as Colin lost his grip on Vailerama's shaft! The water rushed up to meet them! Ava's whoops still rang in his ears! Now this is what racing was all about! Fast brooms, fun with friends and cool dip in the lake afterwards!

Colin laughed as they hit the water and plunged under. He bobbed up a short distance away from Emily. "Emmi! Wasn't that grand!" He paddled around a bit, looking to see where Ava and Emily were. His broom floated serenely just above the water. Clearly, Vailerama had no plans to go for a swim! Colin laughed! "Alright, you! Just hover there while we enjoy the water!"

"WOOOO!" The water felt brisk and no mistake! Colin shook his head, sending water droplets in every direction. Emily had already headed for the shore and Ava was a short distance away. After a few minutes of happy swimming, Colin retrieved his broom and headed towards the lake shore. As Colin ran up towards Emily, he could see that the chill had gotten to her. She wasn't her usual happy self! "You look cold Em!"

Honestly, Colin thought with a small shake of his head, she still seemed so mugglish in many ways! When it came to magical creatures and chatting with them, Emmi was your girl! But, when it came to magical instincts, she could be as muggle as a Dursley! Colin chuckled. "Chin up, Emmi, we'll have you sorted in a jif!" Out came Colin's wand and it was aimed at the poor Hufflepuff's soaking clothes. "Aer Calidus!" he said firmly. He stepped silently around his friend, making sure to dry her off and warm her back up to Helga Hufflepuff standard!

"Racing --- and even flying in general --- can be really rough. But that doesn't mean we leave our friends all miserable and cold and soaking afterwards! Would you like some hot choco? I keep a packet in me satchel! Just for emergencies like this! Also, we need to do something about yer bloody nose! Sorry about that, Em."

@Emily Shephard | @Ava Winchect

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
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Ava treaded the water with a smile on her face, surfacing just a few feet away from Colin. The cold seeped through her skin and made her shiver, leading her to follow after Em toward the shore. She had no idea how long Colin would stay in the water, but she knew she wouldn’t last long. She grabbed her room and used it to help her paddle to shore. However it only seemed to slow her down.

Her lungs burned with cold as she paddled toward the shore, making much slower progress than she would have liked to. Although she had spent the whole time paddling toward shore, it didn’t take much time for Colin to catch up to her. He reached shore first, but she emerged right after him.

Despite the bone chilling cold, she managed to grin as the moment reminded her of one of the summer. One when she and Colin had kissed… nope. She was not thinking about that.

They emerged from the water, Ava immediately pulling her wand from her pocket and pointing it at herself. She almost muttered a spell before she noticed Em’s expression, looking dejectedly at the grass while a bruise bloomed on her face and blooded dropped from her nose.

Oh. Ava hadn’t thought that the badger wouldn’t love the thrill of racing as much as she and Colin did. Her grin fell as she realized she had no idea what to do.

She was lucky she was with Colin, who always seemed to know how to make girls feel better, go figure. While he did his best to calm her down (and dry her) she took off her jacket and pointed her wand at it before muttering her own 'Aer Calidus' and quickly drying the leather. It was magical so there was no chance it would be easily damaged from the water. She hoped. She draped the jacket over Em, her own gesture of ‘Sorry, I’m going to make you fly with me again.’.

As for her nose… "We could try casting on it or we could go to the nurse."

She shivered a bit without her jacket, left exposed with only a form fitting short sleeved shirt and leggings. Her hair was tangled up and soaked on to her similarly soaked clothes. It was a bit hard to dry yourself, which is why she pointed her own wand at Colin.

"Aer Calidus!" she cast, focusing on using as much force as she could to dry him off a bit more than she needed too.

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire

November 25th 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Aww! With @Ava Winchect and @Colin McCoire

With enough pinching and her neck angled down, at long last did Emily's nose finally start to show signs of ceasing its bloody waterfall. She had always been one to bruise quite easily, but she couldn't remember the last time she had such an impressive nosebleed such as this. So while she was still a bit miffed over being roped into a broom race against her will and even more so infuriated at being pummelled by a wild Colin in the air... She was quite impressed with the nosebleed.

"I suppose it's been a while since we've had this much excitement..." she muttered quietly to herself, a smile in hindsight curving at her lip. "Even if it did hurt...".

Emily was too busy being in her own world to notice Colin, flinching in surprise when he addressed her with a look so soft she almost mistook him for Liam. Though the energy in his voice quickly reminded her it was still him.

"Chin up, Emmi, we'll have you sorted in a jif!"

The Huffie looked down at herself before casting her gaze back at Colin unsurely. Her clothes clung to her like the insides of them were lathered in runny glue used to hang up wallpaper. "How?"

Then he took his wand out. Oh man... Was Colin going to hit her with a volcano while he was at it?? Evidently not though, as Emily felt a pleasant gust of hot air envelope her under his incantation. She felt a flutter of goose-bumps as her skin acclimatised to the heat. In hardly any time at all she was all dry, looking like she never got drenched in the first place. Even her brown hair, though curled and twisted in the process, was no longer dripping wet.

Ava seemed to have the same idea as she dried Colin off, the ends of his shirt flapping gently behind him as heat encircled him too. Afterwards she kindly gave Emily her jacket, to which she curled up into before the chill had a chance to nip her.

These two were a peculiar pair. Trouble was an accessory for them yet they were being so nice to the young Huffie. Their gestures made Emily's cheeks dust pink. She wasn't sure what to think of being doted on like this, if that's what she could even call it. Was this what having older, chaotic siblings was like?

"Thank you..." she said gratefully, though looked away as she fell shy.

"We could try casting on it or we could go to the nurse."

"N-No, no! I'll be okay...!" Emily quickly got to her knees in protest. "I'd feel bad for going to the nurse for something like this. I just need to sit down a bit... I even think my nose is starting to ease up on the bleeding too...!" She could feel the blood congeal under her nose and tried to pick it off, only to wince as some of it was scraped off her lip.

Should've seen that coming... Naturally it would sting when it's stuck right on the skin...!

The three of them rested along the shore, Emily's broom tucked under her legs as she did her best to get rid of the red staining her face. Most of it came off, only now the dust of dried blood was under her nails instead. Well, better that than on her face where it looked like she was caught in some serial killing incident.

She traced the ground with a lazy finger. "You two can be very kind... When you're not knocking me with your brooms," she chuckled. Trust Colin and Ava to be the duo to knock Emily blind with the art of broom racing. It was more of amazement than coincidence at this point.

"Racing --- and even flying in general --- can be really rough. But that doesn't mean we leave our friends all miserable and cold and soaking afterwards!"

Emily looked up at Colin with an admirable sparkle in her eyes. That was very... Honourable. And coming from Colin too! And that word... "friends". Was she really their friend? Could she finally believe it now that he said it? She smiled widely at him before gently resting the side of her face against his arm. He was such a skinny guy and she could feel it through his bony limb. She curled her arms around his and snugged.

"No hard feelings," She said, the brightness returning to her voice. She held on to Colin with arm before taking Ava's with her other, pulling the three of them into a warm group snug.

Because if there was one thing Emily triumphed over them in, it was snugging! And no number of "races" would change that!

_{Word Count: 826}

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

Poor Emmi. Colin watched as Ava dried her jacket off and wrap it around the Hufflepuff. Colin looked around. There was nothing for it. He unbuttoned his own shirt and slipped that around Ava's shoulders, muttering: "I'm more used to the chill anyway."

He shook his head and regarded Emily's broken and bashed nose with a critical eye. Just the way Nurse did. He didn't want to go poking at it, in case he squashed Emily's brain or something. His brows knit in contemplation as she drank her choco. No, squashed brains wouldn't do. They were just a little bit beyond Colin's expertise.

"We could try casting on it or we could go to the nurse," Ava said.

Colin rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Honestly, Winchect, a Pureblood like you should know better! We're wizards and we have wands for a reason! And anyway! I am a healer intern after all! If I've learned one thing from Pi, it's 'you don't go to hospital wing unless you're dead'. " He sniffed. "Hospital is for dire cases. We can fix Emmi good and proper."

"I'd feel bad for going to the nurse for something like this. I just need to sit down a bit... I even think my nose is starting to ease up on the bleeding too...!" Emily squeaked. Clearly the girl was off in the head. Sounded just like a Hufflepuff!

"Nonsense, Emmi!" Colin watched as she picked at the dried blood. "Yer nose is practically smashed around to the other side of yer head!" Colin drew his wand from its sheath strapped to his right arm. "Right." He pointed it at Emily's face and concentrated. "This won't hurt a bit!"

Colin paused.

"Well, technically you'll feel the snap of yer bones and cartilages shifting back into place, and your nose will feel warm for a second. But! At least it won't hurt anywhere near as bad getting it all broken in the first place!"

Colin cleared his throat and pointed his wand at Emily's face again. With a deft circular motion, he said: "Episkey!" He gave Emily another look and smiled. "Right! Ye're all cute again, just like before!"

@Emily Shephard | @Ava Winchect

୨⎯ Flight of the Broom-Bees ⎯୧
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Ava offered Emily a nod as her own way of saying ‘you’re welcome’ to the badgers thanks, just as Colin took off his own shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her eyes widened as a blush crept up her neck, hopefully dismissable as redness from the cold.

“You just want a reason to take off your shirt,” Ava grumbled under her breath as she wrapped the still-warm shirt around her a bit tighter. While Colin seemed to be inspecting the nosebleed, Ava inconspicuously took a sniff at the shirt. The smell of the shirt seemed to recount the adventures it had gone through, as well as the many places it had been ditched so Colin could again be shirtless. She rolled her eyes, inhaling that distinctly ‘Colin’ smell.

Both seemed completely against her suggestion to see the nurse, although based on the pained expression written on Emily’s face, it was the wiser decision here. Emily seemed more against the suggestion out of embarrassment, but despite her claims the nosebleed didn’t seem to be magically healing itself.

In the badger's position, she would have gone to the nurse rather than letting Colin attempt to patch up her nose. Despite his many claims about his proficiency in healing, she was still distrustful. And distracted by the start of his speech. Pureblood. How far from the truth was that, which she did her best to convey to Colin with a distasteful side eye.

His assurances were as weak as his argument towards him healing her nose.

“That’s probably not helping her,” she hissed, offering a weak smile to Emily. Nothing seemed to deter the older snake, though. Within moments, the spell had been cast and the badger’s nose was straightened into its usual position, although it hadn’t been noticeably off-center before.

She would not be congratulating Colin on his little stunt, although she would admire the adeptly cast spell.

They kept to the grass near the lake, Emily picking the dried blood off her face so she wouldn’t look like the latest muggle crime scene. Ava kept silent, fidgeting with a stiff stalk of grass as she stared at the calmed surface of the lake.

"You two can be very kind... When you're not knocking me with your brooms,"

How true was that. It was a side not often seen by others in Ava, but still another facet of the multilayered person that made up Ava.

"Racing --- and even flying in general --- can be really rough. But that doesn't mean we leave our friends all miserable and cold and soaking afterwards!" Colin chimed in, Ava offering a nod.

“When is racing not tough,” Ava scoffed, rolling her eyes. “But that’s why it’s a team sport. We have each other’s backs.”

Ava could hardly believe that she had said that inspiring stuff. It was the only thing that had come to mind in the split seconds she searched for an addition to the inspiration session. Maybe she ought to become an inspirational speaker…

No sooner than she had said it was she wrapped into a hug. She stiffened for a moment, unsure. Her family had never been one for physical affection. Or affection in general. After a moment, she relaxed. That was her birth family. This was…her real family. People she actually trusted.

She pressed her lips together, willing the tears welling in her eyes to stay away. This was not the time!

@Emily Shephard, @Colin McCoire