Run PV Aly Salinger Finished

Hex Colour: #38b6ff
Relevant Abilities: Charmer

|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||

Aly Salinger was late for lunch. Again.

This couldn't have been less of a surprise to anyone who knew her, seeing as how the third-year Ravenclaw could hardly ever be on time for anything- her habit for losing track of time definitely made for a horrific enemy. But at least she had remembered to eat today- yesterday she'd accidentally forgone lunch in favour of curling up in the Ravenclaw commons with a most interesting library book, and today her growling stomach was ensuring she wouldn't make that mistake again.

She was just a few corners and short corridors away from the Great Hall- and she could already smell the delicacies awaiting her there, their scents wafting through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts like leaves riding a breeze on a spring day- when suddenly, a flash of black hair and Hufflepuff yellow scrambled around the corner, nearly crashing into her.

Aly instinctively reached out to steady the person- she was clumsy enough herself, and she knew the pain of accidentally running into people in the halls- but they were nimble enough to avoid actually barreling into her. It was then that the curly-haired thirteen-year-old got a decent look at the new arrival's face for the first time, and to her surprise, she recognised it. Aaron was his name, she was pretty sure. He'd been on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team the prior year, before Aly herself had joined the Ravenclaw one, and they'd had a few classes together, seeing as they were both third-years. But other than a few times during lessons for academic necessity, Aly couldn't remember ever having a real conversation with the black-haired boy.

This is why she was rather surprised when he looked her dead in the eyes, her green locking with his dark, and declared, "Run!"

Well- that was unexpected! Aly blinked uselessly for a moment at the Hufflepuff boy as he, without waiting for her, darted off down the corridor; why was he running, and why did he seem to want her to follow?

Despite all her questions, at her core, Aly was a people-pleaser; she would run first and ask why later. And that's exactly what she did, taking off down the corridor after Aaron with her legs pumping as fast as she could. She was not the fastest person, in general, and her slight height certainly didn't help with that issue, but she managed to keep a decent pace with her classmate as they careened through the corridors, only slightly behind him.

“Wait!” she panted after a minute, trying desperately to catch up with him, the satchel slung over her shoulder bumping hard on her hip as she ran. “Why are we running? Are you late for something? If a prefect sees us...” She trailed off, wondering if it was worth worrying about that when everyone was at lunch anyway.

Lunch. Oops. Well, she'd be missing it again. Seriously, she would have to go tomorrow.

@Aly Salinger

|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||

The Hufflepuff sprinter slowed just enough so that he was running beside Aly almost as soon as the questions left her mouth, and for a moment she thought she may actually get an answer, but no, he was just grabbing her arm and then they were hurtling through an open doorway into a nearby (luckily empty) classroom.

Aaron said something about not getting caught, and Aly froze as the boy in front of her began undoing the latches on the window. Just then, she heard the pitter-patter of distant footsteps hurrying through the corridor... far enough away to not be able to see their source, or rather, for their source to see her, but the tip-taps were growing closer fast. Really fast. And in that moment, Aly put it all together. Aaron wasn't running to get to something. He was running away from someone, and now, she was a part of it.

Wonderful. I stay out of trouble for two and a half years, and now, I could get caught for something I didn't even do! Wait. What did he do?

Before she could so much as ask, the window was open and Aaron was leaping through it with all the elegance and grace of some sort of distinguished alley cat. Aly, on the other hand, was more like her own cat, Dauncey- a clumsy creature, more prone to stepping on people's feet or knocking things off of tables. Panicked, her heart fluttering rapidly out of pure fear, she locked eyes with Aaron as he extended a hand from the other side of the open window to help her through. “Come on, trust me.”

Aly had absolutely no reason to trust him. First he'd gotten her mixed up in whatever mischief this was, now he was trying to pull off some sort of madly wild getaway plan that for some reason involved jumping through windows? The Ravenclaw would've expected this sort of brash behaviour from a Gryffindor, perhaps, but not the sweet Hufflepuff she'd assumed Aaron to be. But... well, she was a generally trusting person, and Aaron had a point: it was either this or get caught.

Climbing through a window into the chilly February air would have already been difficult enough, but since Aly was wearing her charcoal grey uniform skirt, she took the liberty of quickly dragging one of the many empty chairs nearby over to the lip of the window. Taking the offered hand, she used Aaron's grip as a brace and stepped up onto the chair, then onto a precarious balance on the windowsill, and then leapt down to land on her feet with only a slight wobble. Snow crunched under her shoes, probably a remnant from overnight, since it was not snowing at the moment.

Aly turned around to close the window behind her, wide-eyed, but with a slight smile beginning to quirk up the corners of her lips. While she was indeed terrified of getting caught and getting in trouble- more trouble now that she'd jumped out of a window, which she was quite sure was also not allowed- she had to admit that this was... well... a little exhilarating. She'd never done anything like this before, but- she'd never done anything like this before! New experiences. How exciting!

Still, though, she squinted half-warily at Aaron now. “All right, maker of mischief, escaper of pursuers. Now what? And what in the world did you do to have someone chasing after you like this?” Was there more to the story? There had to be...

@Aly Salinger

|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||

Aaron certainly had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, which Aly supposed was kind of necessary to get in trouble without getting caught. Instead of replying immediately with the tale of his supposed crime- which is what Aly had expected, given that they were obviously safe now, right? Right?- Aaron began to rummage in his bag, pulling out two wooden objects, the second of which he then used to charm the first into its full size.

A broomstick. A Moontrimmer, by the looks of it- Aly had been on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team for just about a year now, and she had gotten pretty good at recognizing whose brooms were whose on sight while pulling them out of storage in the Ravenclaw locker room before practices and matches. The brunette herself rode a Silver Arrow- a beloved Silver Arrow, which she had affectionately christened Hawk since it rode as smoothly as a bird could fly- and, ever since it had been gifted to her so that she wouldn't have to play Keeper on a rickety old school broom that always flew a little too much to the left, Aly had been obsessed with no other brooms but hers. It was hand-made! It could fly so fast! It was the most expensive thing she'd ever held in her life, much less possessed! And then there were Moontrimmers- still decent brooms by any means, and certainly able to fly higher than a Silver Arrow, but just not quite as... all-encompassing, in her opinion. It had sacrificed quality for height, and that was something a broomstick lover such as Aly could never forgive.

It wasn't like she could go about critiquing Aaron's broomstick right in front of him, though, and it didn't matter anyway, because the broom was in his hand and he was explaining the next part of his half-baked (or, really, probably still raw in the center) plan.

Apparently, running away from trouble didn't exactly stop at the "running" part. Apparently, there were plenty of other ways to escape. Apparently, one of those ways was a formerly-shrunken Moontrimmer, and apparently, Aaron wanted her to get on so they could spirit away into a higher floor. Because higher floors were definitely so totally safe. Because no one would have expected them to, she didn't know, use the stairs or something.

She cocked her head nervously at the Hufflepuff, who seemed far more confident than he had been before; just moments earlier, he'd been a normal boy with fear in his eyes, scrambling to slip away from some scuffle or other, and now... well, now Aly almost believed that maybe, just maybe, the two of them could break the rules a little and get off scot-free- and maybe even have some fun in the meantime.

An hour ago, if a Seer'd told me I'd be enjoying colouring outside the lines, I'd have called them a loon and gotten on with it, she reflected for just a moment. How quickly life changes.

But there was really no time for self-examination or reflection or thought or any of the psychological scrutiny that her mother Hesper would have dismissed as wishy-washy; Aaron was looking at her, once again, expectantly. "So," he said, simply, as though he were doing nothing more than asking what she was planning on having for dinner or if she'd finished the Herbology homework. "Are you up for a fly?"

Don't think about it, Aly chided herself. Don't think about how angry this would make Mother, or how disappointed Father wou- well, no, he'd actually likely be a little bit proud. But don't think about it anyway! Just- go!

Firmly, she took a singular quick breath and exhaled it before meeting Aaron's dark gaze with a newfound steel in her green eyes. "All right. Yes," she agreed, trying very hard to not sound like she was still convincing herself, even though in a way, she sort of was. "Let's do it. As long as you swear we won't get caught."

It was obvious to see how excited Aaron was to have her agree to his mischief; he leapt right onto his broomstick with practiced ease, and Aly warily slid on behind him, awkwardly holding on to both of his shoulders with her hands; she wasn't about to wrap them around his waist or anything, for that would just be odd. In fact, this whole thing was odd...

“Must admit that I'm not used to being the passenger on a broomstick,” she mumbled under her breath to try to get a hold on her rampant nerves and raging heartbeat, holding tightly on to Aaron. “I'm usually the one saving other people during Quidditch ga- eek!”

That last bit was not just Aly Salinger forgetting how to speak, or seeing a wild rat, or dropping a vial of salamander blood during Potions class- no, her sentence was interrupted by a squeak only because just then, the ground pushed off unexpectedly from beneath Aly's feet, and aboard the back of Aaron Jones' broom, she was rising into the sky.

Had Aaron's permission to say he leapt onto his broom and they took off.

@Aly Salinger

|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||

As Aaron pushed them off the ground, Aly gasped out, all of the breath leaving her lungs at once. She had ridden tandem plenty of times, but never as a passenger, only as the "driver" of sorts, and being on the back of the broom... well, it was certainly a very different feeling. Gripping hard to Aaron's shoulders, she realised too late that it would probably have been more comfortable for the both of them- and especially for Aly's bony elbows, bent at an all-too-awkward angle- for her to wrap her arms round his waist, but to move them in the air would not only be dangerous but also just plain odd, at this point.

So she simply sat there and ignored the complaining of her bent arms, trying desperately to actually breathe as they swept through the air together atop the Moontrimmer. For all her nerves about riding tandem as a passenger, Aly had to admit that Aaron was ridiculously talented atop a broom. He cut upwards at the perfect pace- fast enough so it didn't feel like she was stuck at a platform waiting for one of Hogwarts' 142 moving staircases to mosey through the Grand Staircase towards her, but slow enough for her not to fall backwards out of fright. The Hufflepuff boy handled his broom delicately, with a certain finesse; even if Aly hadn't already known he had played Quidditch, she would have realised it now.

About halfway to their destination, she finally received her explanation- spoken over Aaron's shoulder, just a few sentences long. In her mind for a moment as they rose upward, she pored over his rather summarised speech: Jack... Jack... can't say I've ever met a Jack, though I'm sure it's someone in classes to whom I've just never spoken? As she held on tighter to Aaron while a strong, cold gust of wind buffeted them slightly closer to the stony castle wall, Aly's mind spun like a child's top. I wonder what prank he pulled... and I wonder who fell into it, and why he's not telling me who it was. Or if he even knows. Merlin- it could have been the Headmaster!

Trying not to freak out too much- Aaron was trusting her now, and she wanted to give him no reasons not to, for she was not the kind of person to snitch on another, a Snitch was a Seeker's job and Aly was a Keeper for sure- Aly took a deep breath in, then let it out, slowly. "That sounds... dangerous," she finally said with a short chuckle, keeping her ever-present, trademark Aly smile on her round face. "I suppose I should be relieved that it wasn't me who fell into your trap!"

They had circled rather high, and Aly was about to say something about how she was quite sure the third floor wasn't the height of a Quidditch goal hoop when Aaron began to dip his broom downwards once again. All, right that she could understand. I do love a good joyride... though I usually do mine during allowed flying hours, and only around the training pitch!

Approaching the third floor, Aly glanced at all of the windows, not seeing any that looked particularly unlocked. None gaped open, no locks looked flipped, at least from her viewpoint... and she squinted at the window they were seemingly approaching. She began, "Er... Aaron, are you sure-"

But sure enough, when Aaron took one hand off the broom- only causing a slight wobble and a minor intake of breath from his brunette passenger- he was able to push the tall window open with ease. Impressed at her new friend's knowledge of the castle, and perhaps a smidgen scared of exactly how he'd discovered this unlocked window, Aly nodded, even though he couldn't see her. Now, how were they going to climb inside? Climbing off a broom in midair... that's something I'm certain we haven't covered in Flying class! What if we fall? What if-

"If we get small, we can fly inside," Aaron said over his shoulder, assuaging her fears; Aly forced herself to give him a smile that was halfway between an excited grin and a nervous wince, though she wasn't quite sure if he actually saw it. Instead, the Hufflepuff was leaning forward and extending his legs backwards, almost kicking Aly's legs- but, luckily, she noticed what he was doing just in time.

Suppose I should do the same, she pondered internally, extending her legs backwards and leaning forward so that she was practically half-lying on Aaron. It was certainly an awkward position to be in, but luckily they swooped through the window rather quickly and Aly was able to straighten up as soon as they were inside. She leapt from the Moontrimmer almost before Aaron had even touched down, almost catching her foot on the handle and nearly spilling onto the floor (but catching herself at the last minute).

A moment later, her new companion dismounted quite a bit more gracefully than she had and turned to her with a grin. He did seem rather excited, and complimentary, too, as he told her that she was an excellent tandem passenger.

The smile coming to her face far more naturally this time, Aly giggled slightly. "Well, I've flown tandem often enough, just... never as the passenger," she admitted, cocking her head to one side. "Wait- how many people have you taken tandem? How often do you do things like this?!"

@Aly Salinger

|| Interacting with @Aaron Jones ||

Clearly, Aaron was far more comfortable with bending - or breaking - the rules than Aly herself could have ever been. The very thought of having a "usual" way to escape trouble brought a shiver to creep down her spine - well, no, it wasn't the trouble that made her shiver, but rather, the idea of what her mother would say if Aly ever landed herself in hot water at Hogwarts. Because, inevitably, Hesper Salinger would find out, if Aly ever actually did something deserving of a stern talking-to, detention, or (Merlin forbid) a letter home. Her mother was an Auror, after all - she investigated for a living. Investigating her own daughter would be a piece of fresh-baked cake, which is why Aly had to make sure that she never so much as stepped a singular pinky toe out of line.

Still... she was a lover of flying at heart, though, and not the kind of person to ever turn down a good broomstick ride into the sky. Part of her still wished that she were soaring through the air with Aaron - because, sure, it had been nerve-wracking, but that was mainly stemming from the fact that it was an escape. "Maybe not a joyride, but I will never turn down a good flight," she corrected him with a small laugh. Sometime or other, she'd have to invite him to just fly with her - when they weren't fleeing a crime scene. The curly-haired third-year had a sneaking feeling it would be quite fun to fly - legally - with someone who loved it as much as she did.

Speaking of the crime scene, though, as soon as Aaron shrunk his broom, Aly found herself being treated to a more thorough explanation of his prank. He seemed quite proud of it- putting some sort of transparent material over a doorframe, tricking a person into crashing right into it. Aly eyed the material apprehensively as he showed her a piece, sticking the box of whatever it was back into his bag as they made their way back out into the (thankfully empty) corridor. Before he could put the last piece away as well, however, Aly reached out - "Erm... do you mind if I..." - and took it gently from his hands, holding it up to the light from a nearby wall sconce.

What is this stuff? she wondered internally, shifting the material slightly from side to side so that its transparent, filmy surface caught all of the colours of the light. I've never seen it before... and that box... is this Muggle?

"Positively fascinating," she mumbled under her breath as she and Aaron traipsed down the corridor in an unspoken decision to head back in the direction of the Great Hall, giving the material one last look before trying to hand it back to Aaron. Except - it was sticky, much like the band-aids Aly now carried with her at all times, and clung to her hands like a burr on a sock after a trek through the Hogwarts grounds. Surprised, a sweat jumping to her palms, Aly shrieked. "Eek! Oh - wait - it's sticky? This is Muggle technology, right? Is everything Muggle-" she shook her hands forcefully and furtively, but the material stuck firmly on- "so- sticky?"

After a moment more of futile shaking, she paused briefly in the middle of the hallway and held her stuck hands out to Aaron, giving him her best approximation of wide, pleading eyes desperate for a bit of help. "I am so sorry - you must think I'm an absolute dolt, but, er... would you be a darling and help me to get this off? What is this, anyway?"

Hopefully, he would be patient in explaining this to her. Muggle Studies had not yet prepared her for whatever this clingy film was supposed to be...