19 Sep 2021, 17:17
The Difference
This takes place July 25th-31st.
Hexcode= #507091
It was a nice place to live after all things were considered. Not much time had passed since first moving into his family home, and the Wyllt Family Manor was more on the modest side of a wizarding family's refined tastes. This home was not the sprawling palace some of his peers were used to, yet it was also not the bungalow he had grown accustomed to living out of back in Inverie with Gracie and Rosie. Frasier, despite being a bit more eccentric than Syl had first imagined him while exchanging letters, was a kind and passionate paternal figure. One who radiated an aura of acceptance and genius.
When the lad wasn't spending his time in the den reading, the office writing, or staring out of a window wishing he still had access to the internet, because yes he missed the internet more than a wizard his age should have, Syl spent his free time assisting his Uncle Frazier prepare ingredients and potions for his research. The two had bonded over it right away, quickly stoking a passion between them which would strengthen the already steadily growing relationship. Frasier worked with all kinds of customers. From those who wanted simple helping tinctures to those looking for an answer to yet unsolved dilemmas. Syl's almost encyclopedic knowledge of components was no doubt a boon!
The first few days were the kind where the pair forgot the rest of world around them, becoming obsessed with discovering the truth so coincidentally hidden from them. On that first night, Sylvain had slept on the couch and only because Frazier had forgotten to make a bed available for him on the first day. Yet when the two had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning looking through family albums and records in an attempt to clear the space needed to rest, Frazier had passed out on the floor beside the couch. In that late hour, Sylvain would sneak another peek at his parents. He was certain was that his mother was more beautiful than he had imagined. His father on the other hand looked gravely serious in all of his photos, as if some part of him longed to be out of the picture.
Once they'd gotten a bedroom in sleeping order, Syl unpacked some of his personal belongings he had managed to get from his foster parents. There were certain things he knew he would need for school that remained packed, but there were twice as many knicknacks. Dragons, sticky ceiling stars, an antique globe, and the ingredient pocket book of his to name a few. A coat rack from the foyer was repurposed into perch for Minerva and set into the corner while a window was left open, at least most of the time, to facilitate her having the freedom she demanded. In short order, it had started to feel like his home, the work he had done proved his place in the house.
The laboratory on the ground floor was not the most clean, nor was it the most organized, but it was well ventilated and most definitely the kind of place Sylvain could see his Uncle making a genius breakthrough in. Something about caution had always made discovery unlikely and so Sylvain thought one needed a little mess to create something beautiful and interesting. Proving Syl right time and time again, even in the short few weeks he stayed, Frasier's 'AHA's would ring throughout the household, causing the lad to drop whatever he was currently doing to come check if it was disaster or not. Occasionally the AHA was a trick. A trap to lure the lanky teen into eating dinner on time.
Sylvain had learned a million different ways to deflect or change the topic whenever Frasier brought up quidditch. It was an attempt at doing his best to avoid the topic of broom flying at the dinner table. In those weeks leading up to the incident, his Uncle had asked him countless times how the Moontrimmer he had purchased for him was working out. After a few weeks of his Uncle's persistent and unending asking, Sylvain finally let it slip that he hadn't used his Moontrimmer yet. Of course, the fact that he was afraid to fly would never come up if he had anything to say about it. Because how was he supposed to tell his uncle he was only the Co-captain of his team, and not a player on the team? Embarrassing and awkward right?
Of course this meant the pair were about to embark on their first journey. "We'll give it a test run then," Frasier would say in between bites of his steak, a bit of blood dribbling from his chin, "whenever we pick that horse boy up." Sylvain would look back across the table at his uncle with a confused expression, passing him a napkin. "Do you mean Flash?" He said slowly. "My friend?" Frasier would point as if Sylvain got the answer right, and take the napkin in his other hand while politely chewing his food. This was going to be the kind of journey where he'd learn the importance of admitting his fears to his friends. The kind of journey where the lines between friendships and families were drawn more clearly. In this moment however things only felt anxious and tense. What he needed was his best friend.
Luckily, Flash had agreed to come and visit for a week. So he wouldn't be anxious for too long.
@Flash Holmwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
19 Sep 2021, 19:16
The Difference
While Flash couldn't say that his summer had been a pleasant one, it had still managed to be tolerable. Most of the twenty four days he spent in his brother's lodge had been counting the days until the week he would go visit Sylvain. He had spent the time there like a man on the run, doing chores in exchange for a place to lay low. Rather than subject himself to whatever brainwashing his family had planned for him, he rebelled and pushed them away. He couldn't say he knew it was the right thing to do, but more now than ever, he was starting to question if any action could ever honestly be declared a right or a wrong. Life was proving to be very complicated.
Friendship was a bough drifting alongside him on this violent river, and it only took reaching out to it to stay above water. On his journey to Godric's Hollow, silent relief washed over him like the calm after a storm. He was certain that no matter what Syl's Uncle was like, or how the week went, he would be glad so long as he could spend the time alongside Syl. The boy had an uncanny ability for levity and compassion, and always spoke with genuine and honest intent. Like an ocean calmly and methodically collecting all the debris left behind after each tempest.
Any concern Flash might have had would have ended up unfounded anyway, as the accommodations were adequate, and this Uncle Fraiser was a friendly, hands-off sort. He didn't hover around as much as Willow's parents had, being more engaged in his own interests nearby. The way the two of them talked to each other, Flash's apprehension that they might not get along had also abated. In the short time Flash had been hiding from his family, Syl had formed a bond with his, apparent in the way they worked to each others' benefit and were interested in what the other had to say.
Flash had little trouble adding to their conversations, and the three of them got along swimmingly. Flash himself was no slouch in Potions, not quite his favorite subject, but one he naturally excelled in. People who were even more interested had a knack for detail, invention, and curiosity that Flash could not quite match. Arguably, there was no subject in magic that had garnered much of Flash's enthusiastic attention, besides perhaps Transfiguration. Seeing how Syl's Uncle's career was going, it did give Flash pause to wonder what his own future might hold. He had hoped it would become obvious over the years as he learned, but he felt no closer to knowing what he wanted to do with his life. A problem for another time.
Of great interest to Flash was the information about Syl being gifted a Moontrimmer from his Uncle. Flash would not show any shame in enthusiastically talking about Quidditch with him, accidentally forming a union against Sylvain. The suggestion of going out to try it out for the first time sounded like an excellent idea, and he had naturally brought his own broom with him, since he was going to be going straight to summer camp with Sylvain the next day. Flash would regret it after he saw Sylvain's face, one that seemed to imply he was not as enthused as they were. Flash had not anticipated it. Sylvain liked Quidditch, right? So he must also like flying... right? Perhaps he should have thought more about why Sylvain was not a player, though it had become a bit late for that.
On the last day, all of them got geared up to take a short hike to a cliffside. With Godric's Hollow being a wizarding community, they didn't need to be coy about carrying brooms around. Flash himself had been flying since before he knew he was flying, so the drastic differences in peoples' experience was sometimes hard for him to grasp. He was used to the feeling of moving through the air, of momentary weightlessness and how to maneuver through space. He had also fallen enough times to get used to it. All of that had taken years though, he couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone trying it for the first time.
As the trek started, Fraiser went ahead, far enough away that the boys would have some privacy if they didn't speak too loudly. "Sylvain, are you alright?"
@Sylvain Wyllt
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
6 Oct 2021, 14:34
The Difference
Hexcode= #507091
As the trek had gone on, Sylvain had found himself becoming increasingly distracted by his own thoughts. Wistfully, he wished to be anywhere but right here right now. Wanting more than anything to be back home, in his bed, deep in sleep, having forgotten all about flying Sylvain thought of all the things that usually comforted him. Chocolate, flowers, reading. All distractions in the end. Instead of comfort, he now trekked through the woods up a cliffside to fly the very broom his uncle had gotten him. What a huge mistake!!! As if the lot of things that passed through his tiny mind at a terrifying rate weren't already too overwhelming to express, but now he was being asked to relay it!
Truth be told, he hadn't known his uncle for long enough to be comfortable sharing all of his feelings. Fear was certainly not something you expressed to people who were bold enough to make you face it. Flying was even something that River, Sylvain's favorite teacher, had had a hard time teaching him. Although giving him some private tutoring had been helpful for his homework, it was not enough to conquer his fear of failure entirely. As they continued on, that fear grew exponentially with each step towards the cliff's edge. It was like having a living bird bouncing around inside of his stomach. Why did he do this to himself!?
So when Flash and him had gotten far enough from Frazier to have their own aside, the first since picking Flash up for the week, Sylvain's response was less than honest. "Oh, uh..." he stammered for a second, mustering all the courage he could. It was not enough. "I'm fine." Flash would have to be completely oblivious to miss this lie, as it was not usual for Sylvain to be so lacking in calmness. "It's uh, just the hike here. I'm winded is all." Oh good, maybe that one would actually throw him off. With each word he felt the hole being dug deeper and deeper. How in the hell was he going to get out of this situation alive!?
@Flash Holmwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
6 Oct 2021, 19:03
The Difference
While they walked, Flash intently observed Syl's face as he answered. For as much as Flash tried to understand human nature, and read expressions, he was still so often at a loss for why or how they happened. For example, Sylvain was always an honest person, yet his words and expression did not match. He agreed to come, yet had looked unwilling. Why would he decide to lie now, and not before? Little to Flash's knowledge, emotions and thoughts could never be perfectly understood. He would drive into that car crash of a realization eventually.
He was at first at a bit of a loss, open and closing his mouth briefly before returning to watching the trail in front of them as he processed Syl's words. He knew he couldn't let the silence linger too long, but he hardly wanted to accuse Syl of lying when he was already nervous. Perhaps more for his own comfort than Syl's.
"Do you... want to slow down more? We could take a break." Flash offered, despite possibly only making the situation worse.
He wanted to be helpful, turn this into a positive excursion, but he found that he did not know how to. In fact, fun excursions with friends was still a relatively new occasion to begin with. He had occasionally gone on trips with his football team to other cities, but those were school sanctioned, and therefore he was not responsible for anyone's good time. He wasn't responsible for Syl's good time either, but it was a pressure he hefted onto his own shoulders regardless.
"Or... do you want me to tell your uncle to call it off?" Was his second, quieter suggestion.
Either way, he would offer the free hand that wasn't carrying his broom in case Syl wanted to hold it. They had held hands or hugged on other occasions when they were stressed or sad, perhaps it would also help with fear.
@Sylvain Wyllt
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
6 Oct 2021, 19:55
The Difference
Hexcode= #507091
"Do you... want to slow down more? We could take a break."
"No, no," Sylvian said before letting out a big sigh. "I'll be okay. I think." So what if he didn't actually think that? It was too late to back down now, right? They had already come so far that delaying it would just cause the slow cooking nervousness to boil into anxiety. Having trekked the woods and crested the nearest ridge, he could see that if they took the time to stop, his uncle would have continued much further and they'd both be left behind. His deflection had stopped working, and it was clear enough now that Flash doubted his story. "On second thought, maybe just a sip of water." Of course, he produced a small flask of water from his pack and took a swig. It only gave his stomach something to reject, but he fought hard and kept it down.
"Or... do you want me to tell your uncle to call it off?"
Flash's initial response, concern, was undoubtedly what the lad had been needing but he had never learned how to properly ask for it. Now that he had lied to his best friend, and let the lie go too far, he felt guilty for being embarrassed. Guilt would push him to keep his word, they would fly, but that Flash was considerate enough to offer him a hand and that had steadied his resolve. The tumultuous sea of fear locked away deep within him calmed with almost alarming speed to a the pleasantly gentle tickle of butterflies in his stomach. Seeing the opportunity to come clean, he took Flash's hand when offered, only smiling back at him gently. "No, I think I'll be alright now." Only this time he had meant it. Flash really did make him feel safe.
It was about then that Frazier would appear from the brush, goggles pulled over his eyes and his broom racing gloves on. "Who's going to jump first?" He said maniacally. Almost instinctively, Sylvain looked to Flash for guidance, only the gesture was mistaken for communication of intent and his uncle put his hands out behind them both in order to encourage them towards the edge. Sylvain's heart stood still as he crept carefully towards his perceived doom. It was beautiful from up here, almost terrifyingly so. As far as the eye could see, the valley was free from muggles. They certainly weren't about to get caught flying. The weight of it all came down quickly however. Brute force of anxiety stamping out the butterflies and bringing back the roil.
It would seem that Flash was going to be the first to make the leap of faith and that Sylvain was going to be gripped by fear.
@Flash Holmwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
6 Oct 2021, 20:50
The Difference
Sylvain placated Flash's worries as they arose, not confirming any doubts or admitting any further distress. Instead, he imbibed some of the water they had brought for the excursion and took his hand. He could tell at least from the grip and the sweat that Syl was pushing himself, though it seemed doubtful that someone as young as him was struggling to manage the short walk they were taking.
Logic aside, Flash didn't want to admit he doubted him, neither to Syl nor himself. If he was lying, he must have had a reason for doing so. He had been offered a chance to bail and denied it again, which meant he must have wanted the trip on some level. Was it only because he thought he had to? Only because Flash had wanted to? The reason was moot, as they were arriving at the destination just as quickly as the journey had started.
Not appearing to be a man of many words, Syl's uncle goaded the two of them to the edge, where Flash had to awkwardly let go of Syl's hand to better grasp the broom. The honest truth was that he felt no safer on the edge of a cliff than any other teenager, as nerves made his hands a bit shaky at the sight of the sheer drop. He'd spare one more quick glance at Syl before giving him a nervous smile.
"See you in the sky." He'd say inside a sigh of stress relief.
With that, he'd take his broom, an antique he had his retainer buy over summer, and push through the tense atmosphere with brute flying speed, out into the open sky. The air on his face was nice, the weather was clear and great for flying. Technically, it was his first time trying out the new broom, which would have been nicer if he was hovering just a few feet over the ground, but he tried to manage.
There were a few things working against him besides that though. The wind picked up, his broom was faster than he was used to, his palms were sweaty. When he tried to hook back around to watch Syl's ascent and cheer him on, the jerking of the shaft took him by surprise. If only he had learned the gripping charm. In an instant, his fingers slipped, and his torso followed. He tried to cling to the broom with his legs, but its speed had outmatched his reaction time and left his legs behind. He was falling.
For some reason, through blinding panic, all he could think of was all the things he should have done to avoid this simple blunder. He had been too cavalier, too quick to be the brave one and set an example. That, and the distinct thought that Syl would have to witness his death. Don't look were his pathetic last thoughts.
@Sylvain Wyllt
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
7 Oct 2021, 13:48
The Difference
Hexcode= #507091
Right away, Sylvain sensed that something was not quite right. His first urge would be to grip his friend's hand all that much harder. Not to let go, despite the evidence that everything would be fine. His second thought, to call the whole thing off, was something that he had already said no to once before. Wouldn't changing his mind now make him a hypocrite? If Flash was dead set on being a good example for him to follow, then Sylvain was going to be too quiet for his own good. Doubting his nervous feelings to be slight paranoia mixed with healthy concern, Sylvain reluctantly let go of Flash's hand and gave him a small wave as he leapt from the edge.
Flash followed all of the proper precautions, even mounted his broom like they had been taught before looking back for one final goodbye before taking off. It was his friends over the shoulder turn and smile that threw Flash's broom off balance. Witnessing it firsthand, the gust ripped his broom out from under him like a wet noodle in the wind. As the young wizard watched on, his worst nightmares coming true, his first thought was to jump the ledge himself. By the time he had jumped, the acceleration of Flash's body would send him tumbling head over heels towards the very thing Sylvain had been afraid of this whole time. Falling to his death after losing control.
Without a moment more having passed by, the courage to send himself flying over the edge already found, Sylvain intuitively moved himself through the sky. He did not have time to think and so he had acted. His own broom, the Moontrimmer his uncle had unwittingly bought for his unflying nephew, held firm as Sylvain tucked his legs and torso against the shaft. Gripping at the ankles, Sylvain attached himself to the broom like a knot against the elements. Accelerating faster and faster, he could only watch the horror flashing through Holmwood's eyes as he approached. Sylvain could see for himself that Flash now understood exactly what Sylvain had feared for so long, and probably now understood better than him why that fear was an entirely logical one.
"I've got you Flash!" Sylvain said, reaching one arm out to grasp his friend by the seat of his pants. "Don't worry!" It was not the most beautiful save, he had seen more elegant work on the Pitch during his first season at Hogwarts, but the important thing was that Flash had been saved by his quick thinking. Now safe on the back of his broom, Sylvain clung to him tightly as he could. He would not be letting go ever again, well unless Flash asked him to. Instinctively, Sylvain pulled up on the broom, leveling the two out just in time to avoid crashing into the bottom of the valley like a wrecking ball. As they cruised upward, Syl's head stopped racing but his heart managed to catch up to it's pace. HAD HE JUST FLOWN?!? "WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!"
"BRAVO YOU TWO!" Frazier called out from a mere few yards away, his voice loud enough to pierce the howling of the wind. To Flash it might seem as though the eccentric uncle had not left Sylvain's side the whole time, but to Sylvain it was a proper startle. Luckily, when Sylvain panicked, he held on that much tighter; his white knuckle grip proving that even something as startling as Frazier couldn't unseat him. The three would slowly and surely glide their way back towards the cliff's edge, gently guided by Syl's uncle. The hiking-flying session was far from over, but it was clear enough now that they all sorely needed a good long break. If not to rest, then to recover wherever Flash's broom had fallen off to in the woods below.
Setting his feet back on Earth, Sylvain looked Flash over thrice. Fussing after his clothes, his health and most importantly his feelings. After satisfactorily giving him a scrutinizing inspection, the lad looked to his friend with large, round, misty eyes that said "hug me you idiot." He wanted to cry. For lying, for hiding his feelings, and for nearly losing his best friend in the process. He promised himself right then and there that he wouldn't tell a fib so long as he could fly. Eventually he found the strength to ask, "Flash, are you ok?"
@Flash Holmwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
7 Oct 2021, 18:25
The Difference
Having accepted his demise a bit soon, partway realizing there were spells he could have cast if he was quick enough to grab his wand, Flash plummeted to the unforgiving ground. He tried to scrounge into the spot his wand was strapped to his leg, but the wind whipped around him with a force that he struggled to fight against. Thankfully for him, something besides the ground caught him, Sylvain's prepubescent voice piercing the sound of howling wind surrounding his ears. Unceremonious wedgie aside, Flash clamored onto Syl's moontrimmer like a wet cat, gripping his friend in a death vice as he just barely managed to not splat the both of them.
He'd need to regain his breath and composure, but more than anything he was glad to be alive. His fingers were practically woven into Syl's shirt, his head buried in his chest as he slowly evened out his breathing. He had fallen many times of course, but never so high up, never without his team or a teacher nearby. Before Flash could find his voice enough to thank Syl, he belted out a cheer, which startled him back into the present. He was fine, everything was fine, and Syl had flown. Was he wrong to think he hadn't done it before?
Flash's panic subsided as his breath and regular heart beat returned, Frazier having joined them in congratulations. Flash would stay silent, looking between the both of them like someone out of the loop. He wasn't quite sure why he was included in the celebration, as all he had done was underestimate his broom's torque.
As the three of them returned to the cliff and dismounted, Syl returned to his side as though he was looking for some injury. Flash would reflexively start to laugh, though not in ridicule. His face would beam, so thoroughly thankful to be cared about that the laughter bubbled out. When Syl gave him puppy dog eyes, he wrapped him in an energetic hug, squeezing his sides and lifting him up into the air. After a moment, he set him back down, planting a kiss on his forehead like a maiden who had just been rescued by her knight... if the maiden was a 5'6" jock.
"I'm perfect, now that I've been saved from myself." Flash said admidst the light chuckles. He was a bit ashamed for being a liability, but it didn't compare at all to how grateful and proud he was. "You're fast!"
Flash's voice would carry more light and enthusiasm than usual, the near death experience had him suddenly brightly awake. "Are we flying again?"
@Sylvain Wyllt
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
27 Dec 2021, 14:00
The Difference
Hexcode= #507091
"We are," Sylvain explained, his hair whipping around in the air majestically.
"I am," he replied to Flash's observation. He was fast.
"And you are," he said smugly, taking his shot where he saw the opportunity, "perfect that is," speaking just quietly enough for Flash to hear it while he waited for the compliment to sink in.
"and I'll do it again if I must."
"Hold on tight." He said, providing next to no other warning. Syl leaned sleek against his broom picking up even more speed, pulling upwards on the shaft before tilting the two of them backwards in a loop. He'd seen other quidditch players practice this maneuver on the pitch before, but where they had failed he had thought of a way to make it work out. Only that now was his chance to make it work out.
In a daring swoop, he put them just beneath Flash's own broom before it could be lost to the vegetation below. The wind be damned! "Grab it!" He said, spurring Flash into action.
"THAT'S THE BOY!!!" Sylvain's Uncle shouted, cheering out to them from the perch the two boys had leapt from only moments before. His uncle stood near the edge with his wand drawn. It was clear he was prepared to save the boys had it come to that. Fortunately for everyone, an NPC wouldn't have to cast a spell this thread. ""YOU'RE A NATURAL'" Frasier continued to shout, his voice barely audible as the boys ripped through the skies.
Just like that, the very thing Syl had been avoiding all summer had come to him naturally. Funny how life had a way of just... Happening. "Did you catch it?" Sylvain asked back to Flash, keeping his eyes on the sky in front of them.
@Flash Holmwood
"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." -Elim Garak
8 Jan 2022, 16:38
The Difference
Syl seemed rejuvenated, almost a different person. On the walk there, he had been so timid and shy, with looks on his face that Flash could empathize with easily. Now, he was bright eyed and bushy tailed, like a dying fish that had been reintroduced to the water. Maybe that was it, perhaps Syl had always belonged in the air flying fast. It was at least apparent on his face, let alone his words and tone, that he was exuberant with happiness. It would be infectious, Flash couldn't restrain himself from laughing and grinning to see Syl so full of confidence. It felt good to see him so happy.
To Syl saying Flash was perfect however, he'd be silent, a choking sound of wanting to rebuke it stopping before it started. He'd accept the compliment begrudgingly, since it was his own words thrown back at him as he diminished himself. Syl was particularly good at catching these speech patterns of his and throwing them back to be re-examined, whether it was conscious or not. Flash wouldn't punish his goodwill by naysaying, the mood was too high for wandering thoughts. Before he could think to say anything at all further, Syl would warn him to hold on, which Flash would do without hesitation.
While somewhat prepared for a second trip, he couldn't have foreseen that Syl would attempt a loop. Holding on was helpful, as well as his many years growing accustomed to flying, but the sensation of being upside-down would be new and stomach turning. He was glad he was fit and sturdy, or he might not have been able to take it. Syl had a daredevil streak, as it turned out. When he asked Flash to grab something, he could put two and two together, though he was made somewhat frantic by the sudden task being given without having any time to prepare. Flash was not a very spontaneous person, though he was adaptable. He'd see where the broom was aiming, he'd be a horrible Seeker if he wasn't capable of at least that much.
"O-okay." Luckily, with Syl being 'behind the wheel', Flash didn't have to concentrate on anything but his aim, and was able to sweep the broom up (pun intended.) With the sounds of his whooping uncle in the distance, Syl asked if the mission was a success. "Affirmative." Flash answered, cheekily.
No matter how the rest of the day or the visit would continue, the three of them had arrived at cloud nine. Victory, celebration, and comradery all in one. A part of his childhood Flash would be glad to keep alive in his memories for as long as they lasted.
@Sylvain Wyllt
Thread finished
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15