Watching the Skies PV Koko Riddle Finished

Once upon a time, Koko had spent the majority of her time in the Rehearsal Room or somewhere in the dungeons... Perhaps in the owlery simply to see the birds. But now, and for quite some time, Koko spent most of the time at the quidditch training pitch. She built up muscle, worked some cardio, enjoyed the fresh air and most importantly the feeling of wind against her face.

She didn't always have her broom with her - sometimes, she ran around on the grass or used a school broom, but today she had her trusty Silver Arrow with her. She liked her other broom, a Cleansweep 11, but sometimes she yearned to fly with excessive speed, and she could not quite do that on a school broom, and perhaps it was just her, but it didn't seem like her Cleansweep had the same sort of fwoosh to it. Definitely not the same acceleration.

She had been flying around in the air, far above the ground, for a while. Her cheeks were likely reddened from the wind whipping against them, and she had already taken multiple breaks in which she had literally sat on her broom, gripping it so tightly her knuckles whitened, as she breathed in incredibly moist air to try and regain her breathing.

Koko stood up on her broom (it was an incredibly dangerous and perhaps stupid feat, really, but she'd had to do it in quidditch games before so she wondered why she shouldn't do it now) and stretched (which was also rather dangerous and perhaps stupid, but it was the other component of a Starfish-and-Stick, so she might as well practise it). She stumbled and slipped, but she caught onto her broom with one hand and guided it down to her level so she could clamber back onto it.

She huffed a strand of hair out of her mouth and glanced downwards at the ground far below her. Perhaps it was time for her to land.

She—this time, carefully—flew her broom down to the ground, and upon being about a metre in the air, slipped off of it, nearly tripping over her feet as she did so. It was always just a bit more difficult to move around on the ground. She glanced up after steadying herself on the ground and noticed a figure seated on the pitch. It seemed to be a girl, and she looked unfamiliar to Koko.

Slowly (and cautiously, although Koko would hope she didn't seem scared), the Slytherin made her way over to the other girl, who was reading. She didn't seem as if she had been reading the entire time, not that Koko knew for certain, but she thought it must be difficult for someone to keep their focus on a book while quidditch players practised. It could get quite loud, especially up in the air, and if anyone at all was in the stands, things would be very loud near the ground.

'Er, hello,' Koko said softly, a tired smile on her lips. Her hair flew around her face like she'd run through static electricity, and she was still a little wobbly on her feet. 'What book are you reading?'

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

"Er, hello. What book are you reading?"

Irina gave a start of surprise, almost dropping her book. She turned to see a beautiful Slytherin girl, Fifth Year by the look of her, holding a Silver Arror (a Silver Arrow!) and smiling down at her.

Immediately, Irina felt a sense of unease creep up her spine and suspicion filter into her mind. Her family, as a rule, didn't judge or discriminate against people simply because of their house or family - it was something she was very proud about! But since coming to Hogwarts, talk about how cruel some of the Slytherins could be had reached her ears. This one didn't seem cruel or looking for trouble, but all the stories she had heard did circulate around her head.

The girl was gorgeous, her cheeks made rosy by her time up in the skies and her blonde hair was dancing around her, slightly frizzed as the wind skipped through it. It wasn't until Irina looked at her eyes, that she was sure the girl was being kind. Her eyes smiled along with her lips.

Irina gave a broad smile back (despite her fear, she always wanted to be friendly) before looking back at her book. Placing a bookmark into the torn pages of her book, she snapped it closed and held up the front cover for the girl to see.

"The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection." She lowered the tattered book and looked up once more. "I know it's just a school text book, but when reading the spells I always love picturing the adventures I could be having and the things I could be doing once I'm older. Besides, it can't hurt to get a headstart on a few defensive spells can it?"
She drew her wand and stared at it. "I started reading about the knock-back jinx. You know, flipendo. Can you do that?"

As the girl answered, Irina reprimanded herself briefly for not introducing herself, but those thoughts flew from her head as she gazed at the Silver Arrow the girl was holding. It was incredible!

Interacting with @Koko Riddle

After noticing the jolt the girl with the book gave, Koko lowered her gaze to the ground momentarily, already dismayed. She hadn't thought she might spook the girl, and she was rather disappointed in herself for that. She thought for a moment about what she might have done wrong, and she thought maybe she had been too noisy. That happened occasionally, even though Koko wasn't known to be a very loud person, but that was the only thing Koko could think of easily. She wasn't a prefect anymore, so she couldn't be that outwardly scary... Right?

She glanced up at the girl again and felt her eyes widen slightly when she realised the girl was studying her. She wasn't used to being looked at (mostly because she didn't talk to people often, if at all), but she kept her smile on her face even though it might have wobbled a bit at the edges. Most of her confidence would fade away, leaving a vaguely self-assured expression on her face despite concern being evident in her gaze.

Maybe she'd scared the girl with the book because she was older. That happened, too, and Koko definitely remembered being scared of older years. Sometimes she forgot she was an older year, actually, because she wasn't very tall.

Koko tilted her head just a bit as she gazed at the girl below her. If Koko was honest, the girl didn't really look that much like a reading type. She wasn't one to generalise, but generally, she imaged 'reading types' to be a bit like herself, even if she wasn't really much of a reader herself. She got a slightly different feeling from this girl, though, maybe as if she read not to look smart but to learn.

Of course, that was all from looking at her and trying to guess her personality from the few clues her body language gave. Koko had never been the best in social situations, and she hadn't tried to read a person like this since her second or third year. She was awfully out of practice, and she wouldn't be surprised if she was wrong.

Her smile widened just a bit when the other girl smiled, but something still felt off. What had she done wrong? Koko's hand began to fidget with her broom, just rubbing it where some of the polish was thicker. Her thoughts would have begun to get the better of her, but then the other girl spoke, and when people spoke, Koko always liked to listen.

'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection,' the girl said, and Koko raised her eyebrows, hopefully not in a condescending way but rather in a, I'm very intrigued! sort of manner. She continued to listen to the other girl's explanation for reading a schoolbook, and although Koko thought no one needed an excuse to read except maybe herself, she thought the girl's reasoning was very interesting. She seemed like a smart person, but a smart person who wasn't afraid to be brave.

The type of person Koko admired very much, to say the least.

The girl drew her wand, and Koko glanced at it but stayed in place. She didn't think the girl would hurt her, and even if she decided she wanted to, Koko wouldn't retaliate. She'd always been better off when she avoided trouble rather than getting involved. Still, as she listened to the rest of what the girl had to say, any apprehension she might have felt faded.

She thought back to an incident in her first year and chuckled. Flipendo, the Knockback Jinx, which when cast wrong, could knock the caster back, as she learned when a Dhampir tried to do that in the Abandoned Toilets. 'I can do it, although it's been a while, and it's not always that great. I've seen lots of people do it better and only a few do it worse.' She laughed again, still genuinely. 'But it's a really useful spell, and if you're planning to learn it, that's definitely a good idea. For a combative jinx, you'd be surprised with how versatile it is.'

Once again, she thought of Kaegen flying backwards as an escape method. Sometimes it was okay to fail at casting a spell, Koko supposed with a wry smile.

She noticed the girl looking at her broom, and she set it down on the ground. Her trusty Silver Arrow, a gift from her aunt. 'You can try it, if you want,' Koko offered, hoping she didn't seem too insistent. It was fine if the girl didn't want to, but Koko was a quidditch player, and she would never try to scare anyone away from the sport. 'It's pretty fast, and it speeds up a lot, but it responds to its rider a lot better than some other brooms... My aunt got it on sale a few years ago at Christmas, and it's been like my second pet ever since.'

Koko then sat down on the ground, and as she did so, she realised she'd forgotten to introduce herself. 'My name's Koko, by the way. I'm a fifth year Slytherin, and I'm the Keeper for our quidditch team... Hence the broom.' She chuckled after that. She would hold out her hand, and if the girl wanted to shake it, she'd give it a gentle yet firm shake. She continued to wear her small, genuine smile.

@Irina Shevel

Irina's mouth fell open and she stared at Koko in utter disbelief. The film of herself using the flipendo jinx vanished from her mind, replaced by a slight buzzing as she tried to process what Koko was saying. 'Is she seriously offering me a turn on her Silver Arrow? Her Silver Arrow?' This girl was a complete stranger! Not only that, but she was a Slytherin - who had a notoriously bad reputation. Irina always strove to ignore stereotypes and generalisations but even so. She had no idea anyone could be so kind to her!

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of some words - any words - she could say in response. She tried to decide whether she should go with her true emotions of absolute delight, or whether she should dilute it and appear more pleasently surprised. In the end, she came up with, "You . . . wha - I can . . . uh." Irina closed her mouth, shook her head slightly to clear her mind and coughed.

"I mean, I . . . I'd love too! I can't quite believe anyone would - I mean to say no ones ever offered . . ." She grinned sheepishly and shook Koko's outstretched hand, shaking it a little too vigourously for a little too long, "Thank you so, so much! Oh, and my name's Irina. Pleasure t'meecha!" She hastily let go of Koko's hand, aware of how desperate she looked. She really didnt want Koko to think she was a crazy weirdo - something many people had presumed after only a few minutes of conversation with her. As a very confident person, coupled with a crazy and bubble personality, it wasn't uncommon to scare people off.

Irina looked down again at the gorgeous broom held in Koko's hand. She was still trying to process the fact that someone had offered her a turn on such a spectacualr broom as a Silver Arrow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, already picturing herself up in the air, weightless, the wind tugging at her hair.

Her eyes opened with a snap however when she looked down at her watch and realised she had to be back in the common room! 'Shoot,' she thought, annoyance and dissapointment filling her body. She tilted her head slowly upwards, peering at Koko's face as she groaned, "I need to be back at the common room. I don't reckon I'll be able to do it now. Any chance . . . any chance I can come back tomorrow? Have a go then?"

Excitement began building inside her again and she became more animated. "You could teach me the best way to begin flying! And loads of cool moves - I saw you up there standing on your broom - you're incredible! I promise I'll listen to everything you tell me to do and I'll try and shut up . . ." Irina trailed off as she realised she had, in fact, not shut up.

@Koko Riddle

Koko noticed how the girl's expression changed after she mentioned offering her a turn on the Silver Arrow. Was it that odd? Koko worried for a moment that she'd said too much, especially too soon, but she had never been good at personable interactions. She supposed that the girl seemed surprised, if anything, so she hadn't done anything wrong, she didn't think... but she would still be ready to apologise if need be.

However, when the girl's expression changed once again, this time to a smile, a wave of thankful relief washed over the Slytherin, and Koko's own smile widened. She always enjoyed making people happy, and she was glad she hadn't ruined this. She shook the younger girl's hand gently yet firmly, noting her name—Irina. Koko would be sure to remember that.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, too!' It wasn't often that people were honest about such things, but Koko was telling the truth, and she got the feeling that the excitable Gryffindor was, too. Just the very thought of people being glad to meet her made Koko grin even wider (her cheeks would ache later; she was certain of it), and she wondered why this didn't happen more often.

Koko watched as Irina took the broom in her hands and gazed at it. For a moment, she remembered a different winter, in which she'd been at Diagon Alley with her aunt, looking at the same exact broom with the same exact expression of unadulterated awe in her eyes. She and Irina were very similar, and Koko decided then and there that she'd do whatever she could to help this girl if a need for her help ever arose.

'Oh, oh, that's okay,' Koko said when Irina mentioned needing to go back to the common room. That was fine, and Koko hoped she didn't look too disappointed. Not that she was disappointed—and she would certainly never admit it—but she really was glad to have made such a good impression with the younger student, and she'd also wanted to let Irina have a turn on the broom. But then she remembered Irina had mentioned tomorrow, too, and so she said, 'I'll be here at the same time tomorrow, then,' with a smile on her face.

Koko watched, expecting the girl to leave immediately (as most of her few friends did when they needed to leave), but she was shocked when Irina continued to talk. it wasn't a bad sort of shocked, but rather the type of shock that would leave a remnant of her grin on her face later. Koko giggled, Irina's animation being contagious, and she awkwardly wrung her hands together when the girl complimented her. 'I don't mind if you talk! In fact, you'll probably teach yourself a thing or two. But I'd be glad to teach you some of the things I've learned over the years,' Koko said, taking off her gloves. She was ready to leave now if Irina was, she supposed, especially since she'd probably get to see the girl again tomorrow. 'I guess I'll see you then!'

Interacting with @Irina Shevel
The next post will be a timeskip to the next day.

Irina opened her eyes, peering blearily around her dormitary. There was a distant sound of birdsong from outside the window and she turned her head towards the sound, cringing slightly as a ray of light from the partially open curtains hit her face. She rubbed her eyes sleepily with the back of one hand before sitting up, yawning, trying to figure out why her body was tingling with anticipation.
Her eyes opened with a snap, her wooziness vanishing as the reason for her excitement came barreling into her mind - she was going to have a go on a Silver Arrow! A real. Silver. Arrow.

Irina attempted to leap out of bed . . . but her foot got caught in the bedsheets and she hit the floor with a thud. She bit her lip in an effort to hold in her yelp of surprise and annoyance. 'Crap 'nd shoot 'nd damn,' she muttered. There were a few groans and sleepy mumbles from the rest of her dorm-mates. 'Ruddy sheets,' she thought as she hastily wriggled out from them and impatiently threw them onto her bed. She dashed around the room, throwing on her clothes with disreguard (and attempting to put her shirt on back-to-front, twice).

A jumper still half over her head, she ran from the room, taking the steps 2 at a time and nearly breaking her neck! She contemplated going straight to the Quidditch Pitch but abandoned the idea almost immediately as her stomach groaned in protest. Instead, she turned her sights towards the Great Hall, rolling her eyes at the inconvenience for the need for food. As she entered the hall, she noted that there was only a couple of other people awake - as far as she could tell, none of them were Koko. A slight twinge of unease pulled at her chest but she ignored it as she reached for a slice of toast. It didn't mean anything! She could already be down there, or she was just a bit behind.

'You have to chill,' she told herself sternly, as she left the Great Hall with a piece of toast held in her hand. 'If you overthink, you worry, if you worry, you panic and if you panic, you explode. The last thing Koko wants is for you to explode.' She continued thinking and muttering to herself all the way down through the grounds, trying to soothe her anxious mind and run through all the stupid and crazy things she should not do.

Finally, she reached the pitch and became aware of the cloudless sky, the sun still casting a slightly pink light across it. Irina stopped a moment to let the nature sink in, before looking around excitedly, hoping to see the blonde-head of Koko. No one was there. The worry began gnawing at her heart and mind, whispering thoughts of fear and doubt in her ear. 'She's not coming. She was playing a prank.' Angrily, Irina strode over to a bench and sat down, staring vacantly into the sky as she tried as hard as she could to suppress these thoughts. Everything was going to be fine.

@Koko Riddle

The next day, Koko had been so excited that she got up rather early and headed to the Quidditch Training Pitch before the sun rose. She fed her cat, Jax, first, and she decided to take him with her. He had always loved the outdoors, after all, but as she watched the sun rise, he began to get antsy and a bit too playful. When Koko tried to get him to stay near her, his pinpricks of claws dug into her hands, and she sighed and scooped him into her arms. She supposed it was time to bring him back inside.

She would give him a few treats and gently tell him, 'Stay,' before leaving once again for the Quidditch Training Pitch. She'd brought her Silver Arrow—the one she would let Irina use—with her, and she planned to borrow a school broom for herself. It was always nice to brush up on the basics, and Koko was beginning to think that it wasn't always the broom that decided how well someone flew. Sometimes it could be the flyer on their own, relying on their own abilities.

Why she didn't fly to the Pitch, she didn't know. Perhaps it was just nice to feel the dewy grass underneath her shoes sometimes. Perhaps she didn't want to spoil the time for Irina by soaring in as fast as she could. Nevertheless, it took Koko longer than usual to make her way to the Quidditch Training Pitch, and once she got there, Irina was already seated on a bench, staring at the sky.

Koko bit back a swear and broke into a jog, her broom swinging as her arms sped her up. 'Oh goodness.' Her words would be a quickly-uttered jumble of syllables as she both caught her breath and coughed up a hurried apology. 'I'm so, so sorry, I had to take my cat back to my dorm after he scratched me.' If prompted, she would raise her hand, which had two thin, raised lines running along the back of it. Thankfully, Jax hadn't drawn blood.

Koko held out the broom. 'I came out here earlier and polished it for you. I think I did a good enough job—but let me know if there's anything you need! I'll grab a school broom and fly around with you if you'd like, but if not that's okay.' She would smile uncertainly but kindly. 'Again, I'm so sorry for being late, I don't know why I took so long...'

@Irina Shevel

"Oh goodness. I'm so, so sorry, I had to take my cat back to my dorm after he scratched me."
A mixture of relief and concern shot through Irina's brain as she jumped off of the bench and looked into Koko's concerned face. She wasn't at all angry or annoyed with her - just glad she hadn't been tricked or forgotten!
She looked down at Koko's hand and saw two thin scratches on it, luckily without blood.
"Don't worry at all. Sorry about your hand though . . . are you alright?"

Irina's eyes caught on the broom clutched tightly in Koko's other hand and she immedietely felt her mind begin pulling towards the tempting skies of imagination. She resisted them though (with great effort), pulling her gaze away from the broom and back to Koko's face, trying to listen to what the Fifth Year was saying.

Koko had held out the broom. 'I came out here earlier and polished it for you. I think I did a good enough job—but let me know if there's anything you need! I'll grab a school broom and fly around with you if you'd like, but if not that's okay.'

She gave Irina an uncertain smile which Irina returned whole-heartedly. Now the pixies in her stomach had disappeared, the excitement was beginning to build once more. She was about to have a turn on a real Silver Arrow! She couldn't wait to tell her friends.
"It looks completely perfect - I couldn't imagine it any better! Thank you so, so much for letting me fly on your broom. I think . . . I think it would be smart if you came up there with me. I mean, I've flown before at home, so I know the basic principles but I'll need help adjusting and stuff. Is that okay?"

Although the excitement and anticipation was still pulsing through her body, she noticed a slight sense of trepidation. It frustrated her, cause normally this sort of adventurous thing never caused fear of any sort! She just hoped Koko couldn't tell she was nervous. People had often told her that when scared or frustrated, she looked cute. This annoyed her even more cause she hated being called cute. 'Stop thinking about that,' she thought to herself.

Irina began moving toward the center of the field, so buzzing with excited energy, she was almost skipping! "So, you're on a quidditch team? I mean, someone with the skill that you have must be on team somewhere, right? You play Keeper don't you? I saw you practicing with your team a few weeks ago. You were incredible! I heard it's the hardest position to play. I heard you have to be incredibly skilled to be Keeper. I heard . . ."

Irina stopped herself from talking and grinned sheepishly up at Koko. Giggling nervously, she mumbled "Sorry 'bout that! So, what do you want me to do first?"
She raised her hand in a mock salute and adopted an expression of pretend fierce concentration, as though she were an auror, waiting for their leader's instructions.

Interacting with @Koko Riddle

Koko had zoned out for a moment, mostly focused on catching her breath, and she counted the seconds for her inhales before letting out a shaky exhale and answering Irina. She took her time to formulate an answer before realising that the question hadn't been too difficult at all to answer.

'Oh, ah, it's okay.' Koko chuckled lightheartedly. 'He - my cat - is good about making sure his claws aren't too sharp.'

She eyed the Gryffindor curiously. Koko was late, and she usually wasn't one to run late. She hoped the younger girl wouldn't see her in a worse light for this. She would try not to show her worries, but Irina might notice a shift in her usually-neutral composure or perhaps the worried half-smile Koko now sported.

Warmth spread through her when Irina returned her earlier smile. Phew. In fact, although Koko had been worried about possibly making a bad impression, it seemed that the other girl was excited to see her. It was odd to feel appreciated, but Koko was pretty sure she liked the feeling.

'I can absolutely go up with you,' Koko said in response to Irina's request. '[color#85200C]I'll have to grab one of the school brooms first, but once I've got that I'd love to fly around for a bit[/color].' She might feel better keeping an eye on the younger girl. If something happened...

Koko's worries almost came back, but then she remembered they were at school, so if anything did happen, Irina would be fine.

Koko would scurry away to grab a school broom from the shed, and she made her way back to Irina as quickly as possible, just soon enough to hear Irina asking her about Quidditch. She tilted her head, listening, as she made sure the broom in her hands wasn't splintered. Holding it reminded her of her first time on the pitch, as a Beater, when she had been absolutely terrible. A small, nostalgic smile spread across her lips at the now-fond memory.

'I'm on the Slytherin team, yep,' Koko answered. Her cheeks would warm with mild embarrassment when Irina mentioned how difficult it must be to play Keeper. 'If I'm honest... I rather like it. It's less violent, and I mostly get to help the team rather than hurt the other team. I played Beater when I first joined the team, and I was really awful at that.' She laughed softly at her own admission. 'But I guess it was a learning experience, because now I know I really don't like batting bludgers at other kids, heh.'

Koko laughed once again when Irina mock saluted her and asked what to do first. Setting the school broom on the ground, she thought of her response. 'Well... The basics, I guess? I'm sure you already know, but we've got to get on our brooms first.' She thought her words were funny, even if Irina didn't, and her lips would quirk up at the edges. 'So... Up.'

She held her hand out as she said the word, and the school broom levitated into her hand a bit more forcefully than she was used to. This would be a bit of a challenge, but something new was always appreciated! 'And then we mount our brooms and take off.' She would do as she said, but she wouldn't take off until Irina was ready.

@Irina Shevel

Reducio

I'm so sorry this took so long! I'll be back to a relatively quicker posting schedule now that exams and travelling are over!