19 Feb 2022, 22:12
Captain Pie just cannot fly
@Wyatt Starkey | January 7th
It was the second day after Opeila's return to Hogwarts and suddenly, the first broom race was knocking at her door. Only this morning, Opeila woke up and realized that it was the 7th. On the 8th, the first race had been scheduled. Sleeping had no longer been an option, the young captain had jumped out of bed and run up and down her dorm. She was captain. She was captain. Great. A broom racing captain... who was terrible at flying.
There was a reason that Opeila had decided not to switch sports upon receiving the captain position: She was good at flying in class, but when it came to playing a game on a broom, one really could forget her. Fine, she had probably done alright at the Quidditch Scrimmage Ami Pocropp- Preocc- Ami, and Cecily Quinn had organized last year, but through the whole game, Opeila had felt pressured. She simply didn't like having metal balls fly around her head, that even had the purpose to knock her off her broom.
No, Opeila was best kept on the ground with a wand in her hand. While she had been a bad duellist at first, there was no denying that she had improved a great deal. The last season alone, Opeila had mastered some spells and still felt pride at the memory.
But now she would be entering the spectator place as the captain of the racing team, not a duellist or mere spectator and she felt that there was a need to improve her flying abilities a little. Just a little.
So later this afternoon, after class, when most people where doing homework of preparing for dinner, Opeila walked over to the training pitch, her mother's old Nimbus 1700 in her right hand. Better practice now when no one was watching, right?
She had put on a sports outfit, jogging trousers, a t-shirt and a thin jacket on top. Darn bad idea in early January, but now it was too late, Opeila really didn't want to walk all the way back down to the basement now.
The training pitch was truly empty. The sky had a pretty pink and orange colour from the setting sun and Opeila took a deep breath, trying to give herself some confidence. She knew how to fly, she had always paid attention in flying class! But as they said, flying was nothing one could learn from a book, that was a skill one had in their blood or they didn't. Was it even possible to learn to be a good flyer if one simply wasn't?
Feeling safe in her privacy, Opeila sat on her broom and kicked off the ground. She flew up one meter. Two meters. Three meters. At three she stopped. This was okay! Opeila took a deep breath and looked down. It wasn't like she was scared of the height, but she just didn't feel safe from falling on a broomstick. There was a light breeze, moving the loose hairs that had refused to stay in her braid, and cooling her face. Goosebumps spread on her arms, but she was really fine! There was no problem at all.
Carefully, Opeila sat up straight, only loosely holding the broomstick now and turned her face to the sinking sun, embracing the last rays that touched the grounds of Hogwarts.
The wind hit her unexpectedly. Where there had only been a light breeze, there was suddenly stronger wind. Shrieking, Opeila clasped the broomstick tightly, bent forward so she was lying on the broom, hugging it. The wind was shaking the broomstick a little, only a little, but enough to make Opeila's heart beat faster. How on earth had she survived the Quidditch Scrimmage again? She had only sat on a broom for class again afterwards and with the instructions and safety of a watching professor, it never seemed so difficult.
Opeila had crossed her feet, holding on to the broomstick tightly with her hands and thighs, suddenly scared to sit up again. Would the wind blow her off the broom if she did? Three meters wasn't that high, but high enough to get hurt if she fell for sure! How would she get back down now? Suddenly she hated herself for waiting until she was alone.
Mention @Ami Procoppio and @Cecily Quinn
Last edited by Opeila Winters on 27 Feb 2022, 19:49, edited 1 time in total.
19 Feb 2022, 23:44
Captain Pie just cannot fly
[font=times new roman]hex: #3a5948
[font=times new roman]What’s better than annoyingly windy weather on your last training day before a big race? A lot of things, but if you want to be prepared (or if you’re out of your mind), nothing sounds better than that. The wind wasn't just blowing without pause, though. It mostly came in bursts. Wyatt learned this walking to the training pitch with his Silver Arrow as the wind periodically messed up his hair... more than usual. He wasn't looking to impress anyone anyway. He simply wore a tee under a sweatshirt, joggers, his racing boots, and a jacket.
It was probably not a good idea to wait until the end of the day to start practicing for the race that was tomorrow, but Wyatt wasn’t very worried. It’s not like his captains were going to be there; they weren’t racers, they wouldn’t have to practice. If he saw one of his teammates, he’d feel a little awkward, but he knew he could always leave. Being unprepared for a race was a chance he was willing to take if it meant avoiding awkward small talk. That would be the true loss, even if the results of the race weren’t in Slytherin’s favor.
As he approached the pitch, he saw something. It was a person with long hair on a broom. They kicked off and began to ascend, though it was visible how uncomfortable they were in the air. Not that their “form” was exceptionally bad, just their confidence was six feet under. Their happiness to be there was at a strong one out of ten. Wyatt felt the wind blow through first, and when it hit the kid, they shrieked.
Oddly familiar, was how Wyatt would describe the noise. The noises he was usually met with in conversation were annoyed huffs or distasteful ugh sounds, but not really shrieks so it was odd that he felt like he’d heard it before. The kid almost fell off their broom, and Wyatt’s heart fell to his feet. Witnesses were always the first suspects, and it was just him there. Luckily, the flyer was still on the broom. A good enough sign.
Curious, Wyatt mounted his broom, kicked off, and rose to meet the poor flyer. As he got close though, he realized that he had been wrong about his captains’ presence in training spaces. Opeila Winters, Slytherin’s very own broom racing captain was hugging her Nimbus like a first-year in flying class.
Wyatt’s relationship with Opeila was really, really bad. Not bad like they had tormented each other or even disliked each other at all, no. Bad like she was one of the first to come upon him after he was chucked into the great lake. Bad like he was the first to find her after she was kidnapped and locked in the Chamber of Secrets. Bad like they had too much personal information on the other that they were not close enough to have earned.
Basically, hella awkward. And now he was flying right beside her.
“Hey… captain,” Wyatt started. Though it might have been a bit bitchy to address her as his broom racing captain when she looked like… that… it was hard to put aside how funny the situation was. “You might want to sit up a bit. It’s easier to flip upside-down if you hold onto your broom like that.”
Wyatt didn't want to be mean or just leave her to figure out something she was obviously uncomfortable doing. He owed her much more than that. So, he had a dumb idea.
“I can help you fly if you want. It'd probably be best to start over though, on the ground... You can get to the ground, yeah?”
[font=times new roman]Interacting: @Opeila Winters
Mentioning: N/A
| “If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask someone else first.” - Kurt Cobain. |
Sta: 15 | Eva: 20 | Str: 6 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 11 Parselmouth | Prodigal DADA | Fearless | Muggle Condition |
27 Feb 2022, 20:25
Captain Pie just cannot fly
@Wyatt Starkey
You got to be fucking kidding me.
Opeila had grown since her first year. At home in Cambridge she had been kept small, squeezed into a real cage of high expectations and limitations, and it had haunted her for a rather long time. The young Slytherin had first dared to take a swearword into her mouth when talking to Jack Burnett and had felt oddly powerful about it. Swearing had become less and less of a wall for her, but she still did it seldomly. If she swore, it had meaning. Like this time.
When Opeila heard the familiar voice, despite all tenseness, she began to giggle. That giggle turned into a whole laughing attack and she turned her face and pressed her forehead against the cool wood of her broomstick. Seriously, this was just too funny. "You better watch out, Starkey. One day you'll find me in trouble and won't get me out of it and my death will totally be blamed on you. Seriously, we find each other in inconvenient situations way too often, don't you think?" Opeila was embarrassed. Much. Which captain of a flying sports team liked to be caught by a member of their own team while absolutely being a failure on a broom?
She decided not to snap at the boy, which had definitely been her first intuition. Anger made for a good wall to hide other emotions behind, but she was entirely too nervous to also start a fight with anyone now, the least with her own team. Instead she did what Wyatt said and slowly pushed herself into an upright position. "Y-yes, I can get to the ground.", she told him. Of course she could get to the ground, did he really think that she would get on a broom if she couldn't get back down?
... Fine, admittedly it was a bit more difficult than she had assumed, but it was doable...
A little awkwardly she looked at her classmate, who had just offered his help. Her pride was pushing her to decline the offer, but Opeila knew that she- for seemingly no reason- developed a fear of flying that was growing bigger and bigger. When she had signed up for being a captain, she had really underestimated it. "I... I'd appreciate if you would help me.", she said, avoiding his gaze.
28 Feb 2022, 01:00
Captain Pie just cannot fly
[font=times new roman]hex: #3a5948
[font=times new roman]"You better watch out, Starkey. One day you'll find me in trouble and won't get me out of it and my death will totally be blamed on you. Seriously, we find each other in inconvenient situations way too often, don't you think?"
“We do, and you are right. It seems the main suspect is always the first witness who wants to talk or the poor guy who comes along the body in the first place. Narrowly avoided that one, last year, I think,” Wyatt said with a slight smirk covering up how guilty he was about the whole situation. “I hope you know I try my best to avoid you, but we seem to keep meeting in the worst ways. I’m sure you already think I’m trying to kill you or at least that I’m a bad omen.”
Wyatt heard himself being surprisingly honest, but pre-race nerves and a non-existent sleep schedule would do that to a person, wouldn’t it? He’d noticed her begin to shake with laughter earlier which was such a jarring sight. It was sort of defeated, as well. Hilariously over it. He felt a similar way. Each time he saw the girl it was when they were especially vulnerable, and he went through most days hoping she wasn’t telling people about the time she saw him get tossed into the great lake like a ragdoll. Seeing her now, though, he wondered if she felt similarly about his gossiping.
Did she even remember what happened to her? Wyatt felt a shiver down his spine. Did he? He only knew what happened after he found Opeila. He knew Hanako probably wasn’t one to torture someone… it was messy. He’d never made sure, though. Was he worried about the response? Was he trying to keep himself from being any more involved than he already was? Probably. Merlin, he was such a coward. Yes, Wyatt was guilty.
"Y-yes, I can get to the ground."
Oh, yeah. Opeila was right there. Wyatt had found himself staring into space but after her voice hit him, he looked back at her. This time, however, he wasn’t looking down as he had been. She’d followed his instruction and pulled herself up, good. If she fell at even a slightly odd angle there would be a professor or two or all of them to answer to and Winters’ prophecy of him being framed for her death would come true. She really was a seer, wasn’t she?
A few seconds passed after the girl’s affirmative but she remained hovering in the air. With a slight tilt of his head, Wyatt began to ask if she needed some help. It was obvious she was uncomfortable, so Wyatt wasn’t going to make an effort to be that mean to her. Besides, of course, a small comment here or there about how she was captain of the Brisk Basilisks and squealed at some wind. Come on, it’s really funny! The first word he said was interrupted, though.
"I... I'd appreciate if you would help me."
“Yes,” Wyatt replied simply, noticing her aversion to his eyes with a slight frown. “Stop me if you know any of this, of course. You don’t have to slouch so much to come down. All it takes is a little lean and you’re on your way.” Wyatt demonstrated as he spoke, going down at a reasonable pace. “Try to keep as steady as possible. Leaning to the side’ll have you going in loops which is a little harder to navigate, especially on your first try.” He raised his voice slightly as he got further from Opeila.
“I believe in you, captain. Really, don't be nervous, this isn't the worst we've seen each other.”
Once he got to the ground and got off his broom, he looked up at Winters with a thumbs up and a lopsided smile. Normally, Wyatt wouldn’t be this informal with anyone but around someone he’d seen at their worst who’s also seen him at his, he felt there was much less to put aside.
[font=times new roman]Interacting: @Opeila Winters
Mentioning: N/A
| “If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask someone else first.” - Kurt Cobain. |
Sta: 15 | Eva: 20 | Str: 6 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 11 Parselmouth | Prodigal DADA | Fearless | Muggle Condition |
28 Feb 2022, 02:02
Captain Pie just cannot fly
@Wyatt Starkey
"I- yeah... Yeah, that was something...", Opeila responded to her housemate's comment that seemed to be hinting at the night in the cave in which he had found her, completely out of her mind. Despite the time that had passed since then, Opeila still had nightmares from it. Rarely, but they had never left her entirely.
Wyatt's guess that he had to seem like a bad omen to her made her laugh. "Well, let's see; We met when you were just coming out of the lake and almost froze to death. Next, the stairs where Tone was being... well, Tone. Next... you know. And now here. Sorry, but you might be right. Us meeting means bad luck. I should probably just stay here and not move until you are out of sight, so I won't die."
Was she talking much? Was she totally trying to talk her nervousness away? Hell no! Right? ... Maybe.
His offer to help her though was as unexpected as it was appreciated. And perhaps a little bit concerning. Was he trying to make a fool of her? Opeila shook off the thought. This guy, of all people, had so many embarrassing moments of her in his hand, he could have made a fool of her months ago. It just didn't seem to be something he liked to do.
It seemed that Wyatt misunderstood her acceptance though, as he began to give her instructions as to how she got back down to the ground. But she didn't interrupt him, a short repitition couldn't harm. Perhaps he even had a better method or something. Attentively she watched the other Slytherin reach the ground.
“I believe in you, captain. Really, don't be nervous, this isn't the worst we've seen each other.”
He had called her captain before, that evening, but this time it didn't sound as if he was mocking her. "You do? Then you are already a step ahead of me there. And yeah, you are definitely right about that...
I really do know how to get back down, but thanks." A nervous chuckle escaped her as she carefully leaned forwards. A little more shaky than him, she reached the ground. "I meant that in general. If you are willing to help me, that would be nice."
Hesitantly she stood next to him. "You- You won't tell anyone about this, will you?", she asked carefully. "It's- obviously- not my flying skill that got me my position."
7 Mar 2022, 00:38
Captain Pie just cannot fly
[font=times new roman]hex: #3a5948
[font=times new roman]Wyatt followed Opeila with his eyes as she made her descent. She knew how to fly down already, as she had said, and the only indication that she was uncomfortable was a slight shake. Was that sympathy Wyatt felt? Above any lacking in predestined skill or technical ability, it seemed to be her own self that held her back. Even if she needed a bit of help, she wasn’t hopeless on a broom; Wyatt had just caught her at a bad time with the wind. He seemed to only catch her at bad times. He seriously questioned for a moment whether he was a bad omen, but she was still alive, so…
"I meant that in general. If you are willing to help me, that would be nice."
“Of course, I’m willing to help,” sounds too nice. “Already here, y’know…”
"You- You won't tell anyone about this, will you? It's- obviously- not my flying skill that got me my position."
Wyatt was only now noticing how hesitant Winters appeared to be. Her posture still betrayed some doubt and her voice sounded as though it was kept on a leash while awaiting his response, her words being so carefully chosen. She didn’t trust him, not that he trusted her so much either. Neither of them "deserved" the other’s trust.
That was their issue, was it not? The fact that they both had what could be contorted as blackmail on each other but didn’t know each other well enough to know what they’d do with the information? Wyatt didn’t know whether he’d have to use it against her or if she’d use what she had against him. Depending on how their exchange went, Wyatt would be closer to an answer, but he knew no matter what happened tonight, he’d still be very far from said answer.
“It’s kind of you to think people would listen,” he said with a frown so light you could barely call it an expression as he bit back a more bitterly direct “who would I tell?” Understanding how cryptic he may have sounded, he assured with as honest an expression he could assemble, “I promise you, no one will know.”
Billions of promises were broken across the world every day but there was still a guilt as though you were the only person to ever let down another when you broke one, yourself. Wyatt didn’t like promises because of this. Wyatt was plenty mean and there had always been enough to for him be guilty for, but none of it ever reached him until Henry Knight almost blew off his head with a bombarda. That night, Wyatt felt a strange surge of power. Knowing he could make someone so angry that they almost did such a thing was exhilarating, but then he remembered what he’d said to get Henry to that point.
That guilt was something he didn’t like, wasn’t used to, and didn’t want to build on. Or rather, it wasn’t something he wanted to let himself build on. The feeling of power was beautiful. Wyatt had pushed someone so well-liked and controlled to an animal with only his words, for the most part. But the feeling, later, was disgust. Before, Wyatt had been mean to distance himself, to keep himself safe. Then, he became the person he was trying to distance himself from. That damn control.
Wyatt thought of other things, of meaningless questions that meant something to him. Of Winters, the girl beside him right here and now. Not conversations had a month ago. He’d just made a promise to Winters, and though he didn’t like the feelings they sometimes brought, it was a promise he made because it was one he intended to keep. Now…
“I am curious. Obviously, the captains don’t have to fly with their teams in races, but was there not a box you had to check stating you were at least comfortable on a broom before you became a captain?” Wyatt’s tone wasn’t mocking, though it would be fair for Opeila to assume so by his words alone. His curiosity was sincere.
[font=times new roman]Interacting: @Opeila Winters
Mentioning: N/A
| “If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask someone else first.” - Kurt Cobain. |
Sta: 15 | Eva: 20 | Str: 6 | Wis: 9 | Arc: 9 | Acc: 11 Parselmouth | Prodigal DADA | Fearless | Muggle Condition |
17 May 2022, 23:39
Captain Pie just cannot fly
@Wyatt Starkey
Feeling safer on the ground again, Opeila sent him an unsure smile at his response that he would be willing to help her get better at flying. It first seemed nice, but then... well. It almost felt like he was correcting himself so he wouldn't sound as nice anymore. Whatever it was, Opeila appreciated his offer immensely. "Thank you. Truly."
However, his response to her request not to tell anyone surprised her. "Why wouldn't they? Besides... The ways we have met by now... I don't think anyone would believe you made it up, to be honest. But thanks. I think it's more comfortable for both of us if no one knew about uh... anything." The secrecy felt awkward. None of them had deserved each other's secrecy or trust, yet they depended on it quite much.
She eyed her housemate for a moment. Was that an insecurity he had showed her by accident or something? He didn't seem to give his own words much value by the sounds of it.
And then he asked the question that probably couldn't be avoided any longer and it was one Opeila didn't really know how to answer. Having been given the position had given her a lot of pride, but she failed to explain it to herself even, let alone to others. "I didn't. I had to tell whether I planned to give up duelling to become an active racer- which I am obviously not- but that's all. I have the theoretical knowledge of flying and I believe I am a decent strategist. And I'm social.
My role is more that of a motivational coach than a teacher." She chuckled. "I'm er... working on the becoming a teacher part."