Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions:@Korinna Nightshade
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The day was warm and the air was breezy when Reyna went out to practice Broom Racing. After all, she had to put in the effort if she wanted to stay on the team, and she had been slacking off a little bit at her practices. So she decided she would do her own practicing. She brought her broom out to the Outdoor Club Area and mounted her broom. Some might say that she was more distant this spring because of the fact that she was studying but truly she just didn’t have as much time as she used to to hang out and practice. She flew up into the air and sighed. She had missed this. She needed this calm, relaxing time. More time where she could enjoy the spring that only came once a year. She could spot cherry blossoms in the background as she flew higher. She spun around and loopedy looped up and around warming herself up and then getting faster. She hadn’t lost her touch, thank god. Her next game was May 3rd and she was very very scared she wasn’t going to be good enough. Her bestie Linda was moderating the game which was really cool for her. Reyna was terrible at moderating but maybe one day she would be able to do what Linda was doing. Speaking of that, she really needed to hang out with her more often. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the ride. There was quite literally no one in sight, so as long as she was on her broom, she had nothing to worry about. She opened her eyes after her grip began to loosen. She dipped downward as she adjusted her grip. Just then she noticed another girl, a year or two younger than her with raven black, adjusting her broom, about to take off for a ride. This was her time for the social interaction she really needed. She landed her broom beside the girl, hoping she hadn’t scared her. “Hey! I’m Reyna Evergreen. Are you here to practice racing?” she grinned at the girl, hoping she wouldn’t scare her off. Sometimes she forgot how to talk properly with people. Her roommates and most of her friends were very goofy. Not that she minded, but maybe she could get some new company. |
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Word Count: 388/200
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions: @Reyna Evergreen || Speaking: paleturquoise || Word Count: 286/200
Korinna slowly made her way outside, blinking in the sun. It was a bit too windy for her liking, strands of long hair flying into her face as she made her way across the grounds.
After making it onto the Ravenclaw Broom Racing team, she was stressed. Sure, she was happy about it. But she'd never really be as good as all those other racers, would she?
That demanded more practice. More time.
Tightening her grip on the borrowed school broom, she mounted and took off, soaring into the air with a smile. The rush of exhilaration one gets.. enough to raise anyone's spirits.
The wind was a little bothersome though. She fumbled for control, landing back on the floor to rest. Inhale.. exhale.. inh-
Just as she was about to take off again, she noticed the approach of an older girl. Korinna wasn't sure how much older. Maybe a year? or two? She hadn't interacted much with the older kids. The kids her age were terrifying enough, to be honest.
The girl wasn't.. scary, despite her age. It seemed she was eager, appeared to be friendly. The ravenclaw could work with that.
"Lovely to meet you, Reyna. I'm Korinna Nightshade. she gently tucked her hair behind her ear, nervous.
"And I did come here to practice racing! I-I'm a first year and just made it onto the team, but I don't think i'm good enough to keep up with everyone else yet... are you a third year? fourth? are you on the broom racing team too? d'you uh. d'you maybe think you could help me?" she blushed, backing off with the questions. Who was she to make requests?
Unfortunately, social interactions were never her forte.
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions:@Korinna Nightshade
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Reyna grinned at the the young girl, no Korinna's shyness. She had once been like that when she had been her age. "I'm a third year, and yes I'm on the Hufflepuff Racing Team." she said nodding her head. The first year blushed as she asked for help. "Oh of course, I'd love to help you! Is there anything specific you need help with?" she asked, nodding her head. She held her broom in her hands, eager to get in the air again and help a fellow young broomracer. "I can help with mounting, although you seem to have gotten that or the actual flying part," she said, "or I can teach you some tricks in the air and give you some tips for staying on your broom" she added with a wink. After almost three whole years of being on the broom racing team, she was somewhat of an expert now. She hoped one day maybe she could try and learn how to moderate to help with her strategy aspect of broomracing, but for now she would just be sticking to the game. She mounted her broom and motioned for Korinna to do the same. "Come on! It might be a little windy but if you're a broomracer you're going to have to get used to racing in any weather!" she said with a small smile. She remembered the times when it was pouring rain and she had had to race. Thankfully the upcoming race was hopefully going to be sunny. And a light breeze would be nice too, not as windy as it was right now, but a little less windy, just enough that it wasn't too hot up in the air in the stuffy uniforms. Stuffy uniforms in the hot summer air sucked, and she and Korinna should be grateful that that wasn't the case right now. "At least it's not raining or super hot!" she reminded Korinna, giggling, "That would be much worse..." |
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Word Count: 328/200
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions: @Reyna Evergreen || Speaking: paleturquoise || Word Count: 223/200
"Third year." Korinna echoed quietly, nodding her head. The notion of being a third year was so, so strange to her. Three whole years at Hogwarts. Why, you'd practically be ancient by then.
Korinna looked up as Reyna spoke, a tentative smile growing on her face. "I used to mess around with brooms when I was a kid. But I don't think my flying tactics are any good and I can't really fly confidently yet-" she paused, trying to word everything very carefully. "I would definitely appreciate those tips for staying on the broom... i've heard racing is uh. intense. I joined too late to make it to the broomraces this season but when i'm a second year..." her expression took on a bit of a dreamy look before her smile dropped again. "... my first race. I'm so scared i'm going to let my team down." she finally admitted, fidgeting nervously.
A sudden thought struck her, something she hadn't thought to ask before. But it made perfect sense to ask an experienced broomracer, eh? Something to steel her nerves."Reyna, what was your first race like?" she asked, mounting the broom as she spoke.
"I'm super glad it's not raining or super hot. That sounds awful" she conceded, giggling as well. "Again, thank you so much. I'm super grateful for all your help!"
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions:@Korinna Nightshade
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Reyna watched as Korinna spoke about racing. It was clear that she wasn’t confident with her broom and she was nervous, however tbat was usual. She recalled her first race back when she was just a first year. Her first race had been in the summer games which Hogwarts no longer participated in, as the champions of Hogwarts. There had been so much pressure, Reyna had felt like she wanted to throw up. For this reason, she clearly felt what Korinna was feeling and deeply wanted to help her out. “Don’t worry Korinna. If you’re on the team, that means you have the skill. We can work on the confidence and plus you have plenty of time! Now I won’t lie to you, broomracing is intense, and my first game was…” she paused. What was the best way to say getting beaten up so much she was injured for weeks? “Rough. But it will be for anyone you ask. It only gets better from there and with more and more practice you’ll get better and better, and maybe you’ll even be the one to cross the finish line first!” She tried not to make Korinna more nervous but she also didn’t want to lie to her. She would have hated it if others lied to her to try and calm her nerves. It was always better to state the truth. That was her philosophy. Reyna giggled with Korinna as they talked about the good weather. “Definitely! Hopefully your first race will also be in this nice weather. Now come on follow me!” she yelled as she flew higher into the air. And then she took off. She started by just flying around looking behind her to make sure Korinna was following her. She seemed to be keeping up pretty well, so Reyna picked up the pace hoping Korinna could keep up. Now it was time for the actual race avoiding the obstacles in the air. The invisible ones. She smiled. This would be the real test. But Reyna had confidence that Korinna could do it. Maybe not on her first try but with practice? One hundred percent. After all, practice makes perfect. |
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Word Count: 362/200
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions: @Reyna Evergreen || Speaking: Mistyrose || Word Count: 501/200
The girl nodded as Reyna spoke, listening intently. That wasn't exactly reassuring, but she was grateful for the older girl's help.
There was really no other way to word it. She was confident in the air but had no faith in her ability to race. It seemed Reyna had sensed that.
Now what she was truly worried about was falling off her broom. Letting the team down. Oh - how embarrassing it would be, to miss the cue entirely and fall flat on her face the minute she crossed the starting line? What if she started but froze mid-flight out of nerves? And not to mention all those scary sounding obstacles she'd never even heard of or seen before. Waterfalls? Angry, vicious creatures? Scary seventh years? Deadly hexes? she could only imagine.
And broomracing involved spells too. Oh dear, that was something to brush up on. She really hadn't known what she'd signed up for - she was pumped now, of course - and she'd known the technicalities from the very start - but just thinking about it now, hearing about it from an older student made the butterflies in her stomach convulse and flutter in anticipation. She was sure she would get better with practice, after all. And who knows? Perhaps she should really take Reyna's words to heart. Perhaps she wouldn't be so much of an embarrassment after all.
Korinna smiled as she kicked off from the ground, her broom wobbling just a bit as she pushed off but steadying once she relaxed a bit and began to enjoy herself. Hopefully she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of Reyna either, and do something stupid like falling - but the girl was quite friendly so she wasn't too worried about that.
The wind was blowing strongly now, causing her long strands of hair to flutter in her face. She sputtered, laughing to herself. The young ravenclaw was keeping up decently. That was good. Hopefully.
Her eyes widened as Reyna began to pick up the pace, a soft laugh escaping her as she began to speed up as well, racing to catch up to her. The adrenaline was really coursing through her now - as it should be. She wondered who she'd be playing against and -
"Reyna-" she continued to speed after the third year, doing her best to keep up. She wasn't so fast yet, and could definitely use quite a bit more practice. All those years of horsing around in the backyard with toy brooms wouldn't do her much good on the real pitch.
A sudden thought struck her, and the words were out before she had time to think about them.
"Reyna, do you think we'll play eachother next year? That's. That's like a given, right? Considering we're on different teams and all. Is that... is that how it works? We could end up playing Slytherin or Gryffindor too, right? Is that- that's like a twenty five to fifty percent chance, right?"
The prospect was rather exhilarating. She was starting to get excited.
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions:@Korinna Nightshade
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Korinna was actually quite a good racer. She held her reigns on the broom and decently kept up with Reyna, something that proved to her that she had the potential. Reyna smiled. It was so freeing to be in the air, and to be racing with Korinna. She would do it again and again. "You're doing good!" she yelled, up in the air, as Korinna chased after her. She seemed to be having fun as well, which showed that she was gaining confidence. Now that same confidence needed to be applied to the actual race as well. But she had plenty of time for that. Korinna's next question, seemed to stem from her excitement of the actual race. Reyna's smile grew. It was very true that they were going to play each other, one day. She wasn't sure when, but the both of them would be competitors, at that time not friends. "Yes, that is a given. One of the races next year will be Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw and we will be playing against each other. But that happens all the time. I've been racing my best friend Linda hundreds of times , and it's actually quite fun. I think you will find it fun," she explained. She then added, "You play all the teams each the year, once. And those races determine whether your team is the best team at Hogwarts. But you don't need to worry about that right now. Just focus on improving and your first race. Are you excited?" Reyna continued speeding around trying to think of some good exercises to review. The only thing she could think of was dodging. She pointed to the set of trees up ahead. "Follow me, we're going through the obstacle course of those trees!" And then Reyna took off, not waiting for an answer, hoping the young Ravenclaw would follow along. Reyna had a feeling she could do it. After all, she was on the broomracing team for her skills. And Reyna had faith in them. |
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Word Count: 337/200
Practice Makes Perfect
mentions: @Reyna Evergreen | WC: 245
They were speeding along much faster now, approaching the tangled umbrellas of green. Korinna could just barely hear Reyna's voice over the wind. Did people usually talk during broomraces? She hadn't seen an actual broomrace before, but she wondered what sort of conversations they'd be having midair when the wind was acting up like this. "Thank you! Wait so - oh! How is it determined which team plays which? Is it kind of like a championship match? I-"
The trees were getting much closer. Despite Reyna's warning, she had nearly forgotten she had to dodge trees to begin with. The ravenclaw panicked, swerving to the side and just narrowly dodging the first tree. Her eyes widened, taking in the mass of trees before her as the wind howled shrilly.
She winced, falling to the ground with a loud crack of twigs. Muttering dejectedly, she mounted her broom again and kicked off as she continued to follow Reyna, peering through the thick mass of trees. There wasn't really any clear route as far as she could tell. Great. She'd probably have a personal vendetta against trees after this. Specifically these trees.
"Any tips to... not get hit by trees in an actual race?" she asked with a twinge of sarcasm, giving Reyna a small smile as she finally caught up to her within earshot. "Actually no - genuine question. What's the most interesting thing that's happened during one of your races? -I - if that's not too much ask?"
5/12/26
sjfjoquyfr I'M SO SORRY I'VE HAD THIS SUPER SHORT DRAFT SITTING HERE FOR TEN MILLION YEARS
Practice Makes Perfect
Mentions:@Korinna Nightshade
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It was getting to the point of exhilaration. The fun part where you could just keep flying, the wind whipping your hair past you faster and faster. The adrenaline built up and you were truly flying. The only downside: dodging the trees was much more difficult of a task now, but Reyna knew that Korinna could do it. She believed in her. It was practice for what every other race would look like. That was the sport in a nutshell. As Korinna asked her question, Reyna pondered an answer. She wasn't quite sure herself, so she thought of the best way to explain. "Eh..." Reyna sighed, "There are three matches: the fall, winter and spring matches and you play each of the other teams once. There used to be championship matches during the summer previously, but none exist now. They removed it for some reason. My very first game I played was actually the last championship match that existed." Reyna giggled. Moments later, Reyna heard a crash right behind her. Slowly turning her head, but making sure not to fall, her eyes widened as in the corner of her eye she saw Korinna hit a tree and fall to the ground. Shit. Thankfully, she quickly got up and mounted her broom again. Reyna slowed down so they could be at the same pace again. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, now worried that the younger girl was injured or something worse. Thankfully, she seemed okay and had mounted the broom so that had to account for something. And she had made a joke! She probably was okay. Korinna asked another question, this one a very interesting one, one that Reyna had never thought of. "Most interesting thing... um... well, once I was so close to making it to the end but I got caught in the vines and got stuck. For a long time. Another time, well, more recently, I kept falling off of my broom because I was so out of practice or something that I barely made it past the beginning. That was embarrassing... but either way you have your ups and downs. So don't worry!" Reyna reassured. Then Reyna paused wondering if she should speed up again, or continue at the same pace. "Would you like to try going faster again or keep at this same pace?" she asked. |
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Word Count: 391/200