Familiar Findings pv

Sinclair stood at a fair distance from the wall of the boathouse, wand extended. An assortment of glass bottles and cans lined the wall, each object perched upon a ledge. A larger metal can swung from a beam, a moving target. The smell of moss and rotting wood lingered in the air, and the groans of a wooden boat and the gentle lapping of water were disturbed by sounds of abused glass and metal.

"Jaculor." A little rock shot out from her wand, shattering a glass bottle. The sound bounced around the limited space of the boathouse, and small pieces of glass littered the floor.
Again.
"Jaculor", she muttered, and aimed for the swinging metal can. It hit hard with a tink, and two rocks previously embedded in the metal fell out.

The throbbing numbness in her head ached with every moment she spent in the castle among her peers. It was only here in her solitude and control of destruction that made her feel at peace. Sinclair wasn't sure how long she'd been in there, but target practice certainly helped her feel like she had a purpose. It was her outlet, and kept her mind honed. The fog and rainfall, though oppressive, felt peaceful, like a blanket that shrouded Sinclair from the world.

"Diffindo!" Metal pieces clattered onto the floor.
Sinclair eyed her final target, the swinging piece of string, but stood properly once she noticed she was not alone anymore. For a brief moment, the Gryffindor eyed that familiar face with an expression that could only be described as interrupted, perhaps even a little annoyedly expectant. She sighed silently through her nose, her expression shifting into a neutral blankness, "...I was not expecting anyone to come down here."

She made a little huff, recalling last year. The lake "party", the dead fish, Adeline's wit, and Sebastian's pathetic wailing. While she initially thought fondly of the memory, something in her eyes grew cold in the midst of her reminiscing, and colder still when she saw the glass shards melt into the cracks of the boathouse and the metal shrapnel tumble into the water below.

...I was using that. She'd been breaking things and repairing them, a never-ending cycle of target practice. Sinclair's eyes glossed over the pinkness of Adeline's cheeks with indifference and returned the smile with an unchanging distant demeanour. A little tense, she watched Adeline's back as the girl sunk her feet into the water. To Sinclair, it just seemed like this girl intruded her space and sent ripples across the peace that she'd set up for herself.

"No, I remember you," she mutters with a hint of impatience, "Potiri Putine." She places the conjured glass flask onto the ledge by the wall. "You might not want to be here, unless you don't care about glass and metal flying around. I doubt that's what you need when you want to be alone."

It didn't make sense to Sinclair. Why would the Ravenclaw come into an occupied space when she had previously hoped no one would be in the boathouse? If it were Sinclair, she would have immediately turned around in search for someplace else to be alone. She certainly had no reason to think of herself as any good company.

A little change in demeanour. Sinclair turned her attention away from the wall to watch the moth flutter about, and part of her wanted to end it right then and there, like a cat that had found a new toy it wanted to pounce on.

Her eyes glanced over to Adeline with a hint of doubt and reluctance. In her she saw a calm, determined competitiveness, yet an underlying anxiousness. On a day where Sinclair had more energy and heart, she may have felt a little proud of Adeline for keeping her wits calm. But when it came to competitiveness, were Sinclair asked the question in a crowded room she might not have given a single care and would have slipped away. By nature she was passive, until her patience ran out, at least. Here in the small boathouse alone with this girl, she was forced to confront the idea of competition. She was a little intrigued. A weak smirk tugs on the corner of her fine lips in consideration.

The moth looked like a little flimsy toy... She could be incredibly cruel and just make it explode without a second thought. Would that cause Adeline to run away in frustration? To yell at her? Claim that she's completely unsociable, berate her, and never speak to her again? Despite not quite having the energy to socialise much, nor having the interest to do so in the first place, Sinclair did not want enemies. She did not know Adeline too well and wouldn't want to be surprised by being targeted in the future because she heartlessly destroyed her personal belongings. Sinclair decided to play along for now.

The Gryffindor lazily stretches, her fingers laced, arms pushing towards the ceiling like a carefree feline. "...Alright. But we both start on the count of three so it's fair. Otherwise it won't be fun at all, mm?"

Sinclair did not wait to cast. She had been practicing alone for some time, on moving targets too, but this? The movement patterns of a chunk of wood or metal can on a string did not compare to the flittering toy moth, and as much as Sinclair tried to determine where that bug flew, she found herself missing. Using the slowing charm would just make the odds of a hit easier for the both of them, and Sinclair did not want to risk it. A flick of the wrist and splinters flew from the old rotting wood right behind the moth, another flick and the oar stand collapsed, oars tumbling with a messy clatter. The misses were annoying, but she could not let herself be affected by it. She told herself to concentrate as best as she could, trying to suppress whatever lack of patience bubbled up.

Her determined eyes flit toward Addie- it seemed like the girl was having a tough time too, but she could not afford to waste time and attention on her. Sinclair stopped aiming for a moment and concentrated on the moth's flight path. There was a certain erraticness to it's flight that made it difficult to predict- but not impossible. She just had to figure it out before Addie did, or, at least before five minutes passed and the moth automatically returned to the Ravenclaw. With a silent intake of breath, Sinclair pointed her wand at the moth. There in her mind's eye she saw her mother with her gun, silently breathing, tracking her prey with the tip of her shotgun, eyes and heart completely fixated on the hunt. The world grew silent, and it was only her and the moth.

Now.

Blood and adrenaline rushed through her veins, "Jaculor!" The little rock shot out from the tip of her wand towards the moth's wing....

....A hit!

Determined light hazel eyes slowly lost their light as the moth's destruction gave the answer: a tie. Sinclair had to admit, she was a little disappointed, a little irritated. The Gryffindor quietly watched Addie repair her moth, eyes fixated on the object that wasted her energy with an inconclusive outcome. At this point, she did not quite care as much about winning and keeping the boathouse all to herself, but now she had to make a choice: stay with Addie, leave, or make Addie leave.

Sinclair watched silently, thumb rubbing the cherry of her wand as Addie started repairs. She let out a somewhat audible sigh, rubbing the side of her neck at this little conundrum.

"Reparo....reparo..." she mutters repeatedly, fixing the remaining shards of glass, scrap metal, and the oar stand-- the things she was responsible for breaking. Wood and ropes creak against each other, and gentle ripples fill the silence. Despite the initial annoyance, this was... a little fun. She glances over at Addie, observing quietly as if considering her options. She was usually a little possessive of spaces she deemed her own, but she did not really own the boathouse. Maybe this was a sign for a change of scenery and some other area of Hogwarts grounds will face her controlled chaos. It was not giving up; it was choosing to let go and preserve her own peace. She shuts her eyes briefly before making her decision. Sinclair heads over to the doorway, pausing there with a neutral, subtly friendly demeanour, "I've spent more than enough time here. I'm going to go, Addie. I'll let you enjoy your solitude."