Finished Thanks, I Think? PV Ava Winchect

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

Emily could see she had caught Ava off guard with her compliments. She wasn't one to make assumptions but Ava did look like she hadn't received too many of them in her lifetime. Either that, or they didn't sound as sincere as Emily's were. It was all Emily could think of when Ava was giving her the "Stahhpp!" face that people did when they were embarrassed or ignorant of praise.

If Emily was accidentally pushing buttons, she wouldn't press any further. She simply nodded though not without telling her, "Well, I think you're pretty cool as you are. Don't push too far, otherwise you'll end up falling apart."

Whether Ava absorbed that last bit was really up to her, but Emily understood her silent willingness to move on from that topic of discussion when the mention of sports overtook the conversation. Since it was making Ava feel comfortable, Emily was happy enough to answer. Then again she was enjoying their chat anyway!

"I've put my name down to be on the Hufflepuff Duelling Team," she answered. "I'm not much of a sporty person... I'm not fragile, but I'm not really the image of boldness either. So, I thought I'd try my hand at it for the year and see if I can handle it, and maybe learn how to strengthen up so that people don't just think I'm small and... Weak."

She laughed it off nervously. She liked being soft, but she didn't stand being called "weak". She wasn't that bad... Or was she?

_{Word Count: 277}

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 waved her hand almost dismissively at Emily and smiled. “Aw, stop. I know I’m pretty great.”

She joked and grinned as she continued to stare near the waters edge, eyes brighter than they had been before. Things like this really made her excited, made her feel as though she really was doing well. Floating over the surface rather than desperately paddling for traction against a dark pool.

“I doubt anyone thinks your weak. And anyway, duelling isn’t for the weak. I’ve seen some crazy duels, I’ve even been in a few where they go South quickly. But that’s the risk with any real sport, I guess.” Ava hadn’t been in many duels, or watched many, but she had seen enough injuries to deter her from duelling unnecessarily often.

Ava tilted her head curiously and eyed Em carefully, watching closely. “ So…do you like your gift? And don’t tel me something about how you don’t fly, I’ll get you in the quickly. It’s not too hard once you get the hang of it.”

It truly wasn’t hard to just to the flying part, but add some speed and a few obstacles trying to take you down, and it was much more difficult. Much more fun, too. But she was sure Em wouldn’t agree with that until she felt the thrill and rush of adrenaline during a race.

@Emily Shephard

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

Emily smirked at Ava's 'modesty'. That was something Emily had come to recognise within Ava after a while; inflate the ego too much and it just might lead into something... Adventurous. Emily could see the clear excited glint in Ava's eyes. Accepting a broom race with her would mean passing the ball into her court. And Lord only knows what Ava's court looks like when she's in her element.

At the same time, Emily had run out of words to express how grateful she was for the broom she was just gifted. She smiled and nodded strongly. "No one has ever given me something as precious as this before. Even if I'm not the best flyer, I'm still going to do my due diligence to take great care of it! And maybe one day I'll be good enough to have a small fly about with you... Okay? Just a small one."

Because God help Emily in actual broom race.

"If you do eventually get me up into the air, you promise to go easy on me...?" A tall ask after going out of her way to give Emily a whole heckin' broom for her birthday. Then again... Ava knew Emily well enough by now to know that anything beyond three inches of the ground reduces her to a skittish kitten, right? At least in the context of broom flying at least...

_{Word Count: 231}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 7|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 was grinning, watching the waters lap at the shore gently as she finally glanced again at her broom.

"You better take good care of it. That means riding it often," she added, noting Em’s continued apprehension to flying. She would warm up to the idea eventually, a few laps around the lake could guarantee that.

There really was no comparison to flying, which Ava knew all too well. Maybe she ought to fly more often, just for fun rather than to train some new outlandish maneuver that her team wanted to try.

"A small one," Ava agreed, already envisioning a path. A lap around the lake, past the edge of the forest, up near the school and then around toward the care of magical creatures classroom. That would be fun, and simple.

"Easy, yeah…" Ava agreed absentmindedly, envisioning something a bit different than that.

She blinked, turning from her thoughts and towards Em.

"So, how’s it feel to be a year older? Do you feel wiser?" Ava knew the huge difference between the ages. The strangeness between the switch in years. Although Ava was only a year older than Em, she felt so different than how she had at the start of last year.

Honestly, she felt more lost now than she had at the start of 2nd year. It was strange, she had thought she would have only have grown more sure as the years went on. Apparently not. Or maybe she was the exception. Opposite of her, Em seemed to have much figured out. She was passionate, something Ava admired. She wished she had made a card that said so.

@Emily Shephard

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
The Future! With@Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes:

Riding it often?! Oh God... For all the glamour there was about this new broom, Emily couldn't dare tarnish it by flying it often. She would rather polish it every once in a while to keep it nice instead of risk breaking it in two if something happened while up in the air.

But being the people pleaser she was, she didn't have the heart to deny Ava and hung her head submissively. "Okay... Maybe a little flit about every once in a while ought to help keep it in top form".

At least Ava didn't oppose to a small fly with Emily. Hopefully Ava was aware of the incredibly large emphasis on the "small" aspect of that idea.

"So, how’s it feel to be a year older? Do you feel wiser?" Ava had asked. Emily tapped her chin.

"I'm not sure... I don't think I've gotten any wiser at all. Or at least, not yet... It even feels a little foreign still, being one year older...". Emily looked down at herself. She still looked the same as far as she was concerned. Nothing radiated any form of change from what she could see, and she certainly didn't sense any outstanding change coming from within her either. "I suppose only time will tell if I feel a new wave of wisdom take root within me. After all, if there's any truth to wisdom through aging, then all we can do is be patient and find out..."

She smiled thoughtfully. She liked the sound of becoming stronger as she aged. But she knew a lot of that would be linked to experiences too. Something that she secretly hoped Ava would indulge her with.

"Here's to another year of fiascos, fun times and follies, am I right?" the Huffie said, smiling at her.

_{Word Count: 301}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 7|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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“Daily, at least. Ava announced with finality, closing the discussion. A properly maintained broom never had time to collect dust. A racer, or flier at the very least, never ought to leave their broom behind a closed door for too long.

Emily seemed to have thought about aging before, or at least her words indicated as much. Ava nodded thoughtfully, and released a small hmmm in thought. She nodded again as Emily fell silent once more. “I feel as though one day I woke up and bam, there I was with new wisdom. I’m certain it happened over time, but I never really noticed myself changing. Although I’m hardly as wise as my peers!”

Ava laughed, probably because she felt much more immature compared to her classmates. She fit in better with the first years with all her mischief and mistakes, although she had learned a few lessons here and there. She knew for certain she was no longer the same naive person who had entered the castle as an eleven year old, but she certainly didn’t feel like a teenager.

Ava turned and smiled back at Em. “Another year.”

She turned her head to look back toward the castle, evening light gently beginning to cast shadows on the grounds. She turned to Em, nodding toward the castle. “Ready to head back? I’ll race you.”

Ava lifted her own broomstick, not waiting for a reply as she mounted it and took off running toward the castle, lifting off the broom and keeping a steadily increasing pace as she turned and shouted over her shoulder. “Last one there’s a blast-ended skrewt!”

@Emily Shephard
Ava has exited the thread.

8th September 2024 - After "Le Party"
The Future! With@Ava Winchect
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
OOC Notes:

"Ooooh... So maybe it is all about patience then!" Emily clicked her tongue. Blast it. Why did she think turning thirteen would be the gateway for instantaneous influx of newfound knowledge, capabilities and awareness. Surely that was the whole point of the "teen" part in "Thirteen". As of today, Emily was now officially a teenager. And with that opened a new chapter of power, knowledge and growth... But not for a while, it seemed.

"Gradual, you say? Hmm... I suppose that checks out. Wisdom is only wisdom once we observe and acquire knowledge, after all. And that's all not something one can do in a single day".

The pair shared their well wishes for the future of new developments between them. The sun began to cast its evening glow across the grounds of Hogwarts, the day dimming and making its way towards another routine sunset. Haah... Another birthday was coming to an end.

"Huh, I didn't realise it was this late already. The day went by so quickly..."

“Ready to head back? I’ll race you.”

"Eh?"

Ava had already taken off by the time Emily processed what she said. "Last one there’s a blast-ended skrewt!”

"Wh--Hang on--Wait!" Emily hustled as she wrangled the new broom under her arm as she hurried behind Ava, struggling to keep up so long as she was trying to run and balance the broom off the ground at the same time.

"Ava, wait! I can't run as fast as you can! Oh for the love of-- Why do you and Colin have faster and stronger legs?!"

_{Word Count: 259}

Emily Leaves The Thread
_{Until next time, my friend! :3}

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