Head in the Clouds PV | T. Larkston Closed

༓~@Koko Riddle~༓

Thora paused on the grass, breathing in the crisp Scottish air. She needed a break. It was just Monday, the first day of a long week chock-full of homework, no doubt, but she couldn't focus. After a few restless minutes in the library, trying to finish a simple Charms assignment--normally her best class--Thora had decided to play some Quidditch. No, there wouldn't be a game, and even if there was, she probably wouldn't get to play as a second-string reserve. 

As Thora was a girl that liked to be ready, she would have liked to practice anyway. She hadn't yet had to play in a game--that was a good thing, as so far, their Keeper had survived (and done quite well) their first match--but she always liked to practice in case she would ever need to. Which was why she found her legs taking her, unbidden, towards the Quidditch Training Pitch. It was as if they had minds of their own, knowing exactly where the young girl needed to go.

The young Slytherin knew she needed practice, as although she was quite a natural, she wasn't too good, which probably also explained how she was a second-string player.. Quidditch, like most other aspects of the wizarding world, came rather easily to Thora, despite her Muggle upbringing. However, her rather low-esteem didn't help, exactly, as her lack of confidence in everything--especially herself--often caused her to leave the Pitch as soon as another player arrived, as they were surely better than her.

Trudging towards the rickety fence that stood just next to the Training Pitch, Thora stared, lonely, into the sky. Expecting a dark gray sky with layer upon puffy layer of clouds and two lone sets of Quidditch goals, the brunette jumped a step when she spotted a figure in the sky. Someone else was here. Hopefully it was someone her age, and nice--the only clue of who the flying person in the sky was was a flash a blonde hair. The figure seemed to be wearing Muggle clothes, about which Thora herself couldn't judge, as she was wearing a hoodie and leggings. Some people might think she was crazy to wear just a hoodie on such a blustery day, but she was from the Dublin countryside. She could handle this.

Inspecting the brooms messily lined up inside the shed, Thora picked up one that looked to be well-maintained, despite being quite old. Thora didn't have a broom of her own as she didn't exactly have enough money, but she was saving up. The girl had already saved up 17 galleons, but she wanted a really good broom. A sleek, fast broom that would aid her whenever she flew. But until then, Thora refused to be caught up in her dreams and satisfied herself with a school broom. At least she could fly. Walking onto the Training Pitch, Thora dropped the rickety broom by her side.

"Up," she commanded it. It rose up smoothly and Thora swung a leg over, controlling it up into the air. Hoping that the figure just on the other side of the Pitch was a friend and not a foe, Thora flew closer. A glance told her it was Koko Riddle, a Slytherin Prefect and the Quidditch team's current Keeper. She was really good with a pretty great broom to match it--a Nimbus 1700. Thora self-consciously tried to ignore the broom she was sitting on. Suddenly, it looked so much older than it had before. She knew Koko had probably seen her fly into the air--Thora still wasn't as graceful as she would've liked to be--but didn't want to scare the girl off her broom. Thora sat back, still clutching her broom and waited for Koko to say something, as was the brunette's custom.

Koko swerved and dove a bit more, letting the wind hit her in the face. So what? She needed to get used to its bitterness. She'd feel it during every game of Quidditch, and if she wished to for her team to win, she would not be bothered by it. She would gain an exterior that would not be bothered by the wind at all. A smile crossed the blonde's face, but not one of glee. It was determined, more like a smirk than anything. She was going to improve.

She had just been hovering near the goalposts, enjoying the thrill that being up in the air gave her, when she spotted a flicker in the corner of her eye. Her eyebrow rose, and she spun on the broom to face the newcomer. It was a person she recognised, but she didn't usually bother with names before getting to know people. Maybe someone on the Quidditch team? That would explain why she knew how to maneuver a broom so well. But whose Quidditch team? Koko's smirk faded as she realised that the person in front of her could easily be a Hufflepuff.

For Koko, being in the air gave her a sense of self-assuredness, something she didn't get from anywhere else. Her amber eyes narrowed, and she lifted a hand from the shaft of her Nimbus 1700 to place it on her hip - yes, she was that extra. She swooped in a circle, her smirk returning (but not all that glorious as it had once been), and she made a spiral before she flew right in front of the newcomer, flying behind her and then in front of her once more. Very extra indeed.

Koko wasn't as graceful as her Flying Professor was, but she did like to think that she was quite okay at flying. It was what made her confident, so it made sense that she should be confident in it. Yes. Koko was confident in her flying. She had, in fact, nearly fallen off of her broom while making her unnecessary but lovely entrance. Having regained her balance, Koko brushed a lock of hair out of her face with the hand that had been previously resting on her hip, and then she pointed that index finger a the newcomer.

She gave the girl a quick once-over, trying to find something out from her demeanor. She held herself in a way that was familiar, but Koko couldn't place a finger on why. Her broom, while nothing special, had a certain charm to it - maybe it was an antique? That was neat. Koko had wanted an antique broom at first, but her aunt had only offered to buy this one. "Who," Koko said softly, keeping her gaze trained on the brunette, "are you?"

She kept that pose for a moment, and then she lowered her hand, her cheeks reddening. Yeah. That had been... quite unnecessary. "What I mean is, I recognise you." Koko forced herself to stay sitting up straight and not become flustered. "But, uh, where from? You handle your broom well." The compliment, although she had not meant for it to slip out, added a sense of I'm not mean to her words, or so she hoped. Koko didn't want to come across as a Hufflepuff. "I-If I should know your name, I'm sorry. I... Don't really remember names before talking to people."

Reducio

OC - Sorry about the wait!

༓~@Koko Riddle~༓

Thora watched with something a little short of awe as Koko swooped everywhere, obviously at ease on her smooth-flying broom. Maybe the blonde was trying to show off, but Thora didn't exactly mind. For one, Koko really was an amazing Keeper. She had yet to allow the Quaffle through the hoop during a match and Merlin, could she fly. Furthermore, Thora knew she wasn't better. She wasn't bad at Quidditch, especially considering her Muggle upbringing, but she knew there was a huge margin for improvement on her part.

She had no doubt that Koko was better, so if she really wanted to show off, that was fine by Thora. Sure, Thora's sharp green eyes didn't miss the split second of hesitation, of imperfection, as Koko slipped from the broom, but hey, even professionals made mistakes. Thora wasn't one to judge, though, as the first time she had gotten on a broom--an utter fiasco--was indelibly imprinted into her memory. Several failed attempts to get the antique to float, narrowly missing a set of hoops, and a not-too-graceful descent had resulted in one of the worst embarrassments of her time at Hogwarts. Thankfully, nobody else had been present to see her failure, but the girl's pride and dignity had fallen that day. Trying to drive the humiliating memory out of her mind, Thora opened her mouth to greet Koko.

But the other girl beat her to it. When Koko asked her who she was, Thora was a little confused. Who was she? They had worked together a little at Quidditch practices and had seen each other in passing occasionally, and, well, she knew the blonde's name. But a moment of thinking brought her to the most obvious realization, one that made her want to literally facepalm. Not everyone was a stalker. To be fair, the little snek wasn't one of those creeps who knew your name just because, but she and Koko were in the same house and year. It wasn't that unusual, was it?

But at the same time, she didn't blame the other girl for not remembering. Thora had an amazing memory which had proven to many times over to be a blessing as it was quite helpful for remembering facts and such for exams. However, it was certainly a curse, something Thora found herself wishing she was never born with, as the ball seemed permanently stuck in her brain, almost like an internal brand. But back to the situation at hand...

Koko Riddle wasn't someone Thora knew personally, however much she would've liked to. She seemed heavily involved at the magical school, as she was on both the Newspaper Team and the Quidditch team on top of being a Slytherin prefect. Thora would've liked to know her better, them being the same age, but she wasn't great at getting to know people. That was her own fault. The only people she currently considered friends, well, just happened. 

"I'm Thora," the brunette introduced herself, "You know, I'm the second string Keeper on our Quidditch team." Hopefully Koko would recognize her as a snek. As the other girl explained how she didn't remember names before directly speaking to people, Thora felt a wave of shame wash over her. How could she have expected Koko to remember her name when they had never talked? It made perfect sense. Well, that was great. Thora didn't exactly mind reintroducing herself, so she tried to forgive herself and move on. 

"So, you wanna practice together?" Thora asked. "I-I'm not too great," she admitted. While although typically, her pride--and paranoia--wouldn't have let her reveal something like that, it was quite obvious. She was second-string, after all, and Koko had probably seen her practice. "Unless you wanna practice yourself, of course." 

Thora let herself rise into the air, enjoying the exhilarating feeling of the biting wind on her face. She had no problem with the cold, having grown up a sort of wild child in the cool, rainy countryside of Ireland. Here was another reason the girl loved Quidditch despite her currently lacking talent. It reminded her of home, despite how opposite the wizarding tradition was to her totally non-wizarding background. Being outside in the crisp Scottish air daily was almost a necessity for the farm girl, as she had done the same back home. Other than spending time with her new-found friends, Quidditch was her favorite way of being outside and active. 

Reducio

OC: No worries  

Koko really was an idiot, then. She mentally facepalmed as her brain matched name to face. Of course. Thora... Her surname was Larkston, right? Thora Larkston, her Keeper buddy. And she could hardly remember the other girl’s name.

Though, Koko’s feelings towards the girl couldn’t be the blame of this. In fact, she held all members of the Quidditch team in high esteem. Koko had never been good with names. In fact, it was the area of her memory that she struggled with the most. Remember a history paragraph word-for-word? Sure. A string of numerical data? No problem. But a name? That was something that just would not stay in Koko’s head. ”Sorry,” the girl breathed, her formerly loud voice lowered to a near-mumble. ”I’m not good with names. I’ll remember, though!” Thora. Koko would repeat the name over and over in her head, determined not to forget.

But did Thora know her? Koko didn’t know who knew her. She wasn’t trying to get noticed. Or rather, maybe she was, but it wasn’t a priority. She just wanted to have something she could control, and sometimes she would get her name out there in the process. Her fingers tapped on the broomshaft, green-and-silver striped nails making tiny clicking noises. She was unaware that she was doing it. Fidgeting with her hands was just a habit. Keeper... Her copper-shaded eyes would lose focus for a moment as she became lost in her thoughts, but then Thora’s voice poked into her head again - and it was not in any way unwelcome.

”Oh, uh, um, yeah, sure!” Koko stammered in a moment of ingenuity, almost falling off of her broom once more. Then her brow furrowed and she cocked her head a tiny bit. ”But Thora, I’m sure you’re awesome - I mean, I haven’t seen you play in a game or anything, but you’ve got to be awesome! I bet you’re not scared of anything.” She allowed herself to admit something in that sentence, even if it would appear that she didn’t. Koko was admitting that she was, in fact, scared of quite a lot. But only to herself. She did that through projecting what might be taken as praise onto the other Slytherin. Koko ran the same hand that had been tapping her broom through her hair, sighing. She was thinking again.

And then she stopped thinking. The day seemed to become slightly clearer, and she set both hands back down on the broomshaft. ”Do you just want to do laps and talk?” Koko asked, raising her eyebrows and giving a smile, ”or d’you have something else in mind?” Maybe they would race! Not immediately, though; Quidditch was like Muggle sports in the sense that one needed to warm up their muscles. Or their senses. Or possibly both. ”Have you seen Frozen?” asked the blonde-haired girl in an attempt to make more conversation. To, for lack of better words, break out of her shell.

Because it was what she needed to do.

༓~@Koko Riddle~༓

Thora, in reality, was not at all amazing at Quidditch. Still, the girl felt a sheepish blush warm her cheeks. Koko was awfully nice to shower her with so much confetti-like praise. Although perhaps Thora was mentally self-deprecating, emphasizing small failures over the successes she had, she knew she wasn’t that good. But her not being scared of anything? Thora knew that it was a complete lie, although of course, she couldn’t have expected Koko to know. They hardly even knew each other. Honestly though, the little snek was more than scared. She was paranoid.

But why was Koko being so kind? Thora could only guess at the other girl’s motives. She would like to believe that her compliments were genuine--and she did, in fact, trust the other girl--but a tiny part of her just wouldn’t let her. Thora bit her lip as she forced herself to stop being so doubtful and to just let go. Sometimes she couldn’t control everything. In fact, Koko seemed to trust her as well, hinting at her own weaknesses. Of course, Thora couldn’t guess as to what the other girl was good at, since she barely knew her, but she decided not to pry. If Koko had been so willing to reveal something to a near-stranger, Thora would be more than happy to return the favor.

“I’m okay, I guess,” Thora admitted, “I'm sure you're better than me, though, since you're first string. I-I mean, I’m scared of a bunch of things too. You know, especially with the Masquerade Ball. You were there, right?” It would definitely help to get a general idea of who was actually there. She didn’t want to lose control and unleash a bunch of ranting on someone who didn’t even know what had happened, let alone how well she knew them.

“Sure, we can do laps for now. I just came out here to fly, anyways,” Thora agreed, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Is that a Nimbus 1700?” Spinning around on her own broom, the girl tried to let the wind brush away her wariness like it was brushing strands of chestnut hair from her face. She could do this. She could trust someone. It wasn’t hard for her to trust the girl in front of her. Koko was likeable, kind, and friendly, while a little awkward, just like Thora herself. The snek would love to be friends with the other girl, but she would have to keep talking. Nobody got anywhere in social life by staying silent.

“I have seen Frozen,” Thora answered. “Have you? I don’t really watch a ton of movies and all, but I’m pretty sure people here watch them even less since movies are a Muggle thing, as far as I know.” Honestly, it had been a pretty good movie. The whole thing had kind of gotten old, though, as having attended Muggle school, everything had been over-inflated. It would’ve been nice, had Let it Go stopped floating around everywhere she went, but alas, that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t even escape from the song’s strains at her own house. She had a younger sister who sang all day.

But however much Thora disliked the movie for how popular it was and how she kept on hearing about it, she couldn’t help but relate. No, she didn’t have ice powers, obviously, nor had her parents died, nor was she in some magical kingdom. But she was restrained, in a way. And she was lonely, friendless, and without support. Her time at Hogwarts was hard. True, she had found some friends--a future one hopefully being Koko--but still, an aura of loneliness seemed to have enveloped the girl.

It was only occasionally that she was able to really enjoy herself. Quidditch was one of those times. And here she was, on a broom with someone to talk to. Maybe she could finally enjoy herself now and do something she liked.

“Ready?” Thora asked, getting ready to zoom across the field. Had she been alone, she would’ve been ready to cross the field in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t alone. She had a friend. And after all, Quidditch was so much better with a friend, wasn’t it?