Closed Flying Recreationally PV Ileen Knight

Ileen closed her eyes briefly and enjoyed the icy air that whipped into her face and drove the feeling from her cheeks and nose. Slow as a hawk, she circled the Quidditch pitch, free as a bird in the air.
The young Slytherin had always sought the highest places when she wasn't feeling well. Putting distance between herself and the ground helped her to temporarily escape her problems, to catch a fleeting feeling of freedom and detachment. In her first year, she had climbed a tower more than once and her good friend Aida had taken her on her broom. She had seen Hogwarts from above and had always been able to tear herself away.
But when she had had the chance, she had bought her own broom. Now she was even more independent and when she needed to think or get her thoughts in order, she got out her beautiful silver arrow and did laps out here.
It was freezing cold and not training time, so she was alone. She had her Slytherin scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and despite the gloves, she was gradually starting to not feel her fingers. Her dark brown hair was a mess - she had been flying around here for a while and the wind had destroyed anything that might have once been a hairstyle.

As always before Christmas, she escaped outside because she had to think of her parents. Her parents, who were in another country, who didn't want her there, who had torn her from her home, who had lied to her.
The bitterness felt overwhelming and at the same time she missed them so much that it hurt. She had never seen her father or her mother even once in the last few years. And now she was here, far up in the air, trying to shake off the paralyzing feeling of helplessness.

A soft sniffle escaped her and she bit her lips furiously. Her eyes roamed over the lands as she fought down the surging emotions. How long had she been here? Probably an hour. Maybe it was time to go back?
She turned to the castle that loomed large against the gray horizon and a soft smile appeared on her face. This was her home. Why was she grieving over the past?

With a sigh, she slowly glided over to the stands. The broom reacted to the slightest movement and turned in a gentle curve.
Then her dark eyes fell on a figure sitting there that Ileen had not noticed before. At first she felt a little uneasy - but what did she care if someone had been watching her? After all, she had done nothing forbidden.
Curious, she steered her broom further in the direction until she recognized the boy who was squatting there and looking up at her thoughtfully. Wasn't that Aaron?
Ileen liked the Hufflepuff, even though they hadn't had much to do with each other. They had done a few errands together and it was always nice with him. She usually felt very comfortable around him. That was also the reason why she decided to fly closer, despite her troubled feelings.
An attentive observer would notice the redness of her cheeks and the suspicious glint in her eyes - either she had been upset or the icy air had caused it.
With an elegant serpentine, Ileen glided over to the boy and landed light-footed beside him. "Hey Aaron, what are you doing here?" Stupid question, actually. Wasn't he a Quidditch player himself? Ileen wasn't quite sure, since she didn't actively follow the sport.

@Aaron Jones

@Ileen Knight

Ileen dismounted her new broom and held it awkwardly in her hand, not sure if it was the right moment to sit with Aaron or if he rather wanted her to leave again. She noticed the hesitation before he provided a reason for his presence. Well, she couldn’t and wouldn’t judge him. She herself had come here many times without a broom or even the slightest interest in Quidditch or… people. But the openness of the pitch and the possibility to climb up the poles had always drawn her here.
So, she nodded along as he spoke, a soft smile on her lips. Not everyone was weird as she was. He most likely told the truth and who was she to request an explanation anyway? Even if he had different motivations, she wouldn’t blame him. “Yeah, here I am.” She chuckled and decided to finally take a seat next to him. Her eyes were fixed on him and she wrinkled her forehead as she tried to remember if he was a quidditch player or not. But she was scared to ask and thus showed her lack of interest in Quidditch. She just came here to fly for fun or escape problems - what kind of reasoning was that? Her cheeks flushed in anticipated embarrassment.

But of course, since they were on the Quidditch pitch, they ended up with that topic. The young Slytherin gently stroked the broom that she had placed on her lap and her shy smile deepend. “Yeah. I saved up my money to buy this. I like how it feels when you ride it. So smooth and fast.” She brushed aside the comment that it was a good broom for Quidditch. She had no interest in the sport and probably the boy thought that she trainerite to be included in the house team. But her reason for being here was quite different. She was so accustomed to the judgment of her classmates that she often chose to keep quiet about her true motivation.
She was so caught up in her own problems and struggle, that she totally missed his reaction. But it didn’t stop her from offering it anyway. Flying was fun and sharing it with people she liked was even more fun. Making someone happy would definitely help her to forget about her sorrow.
“I never tried a Moontrimmer. But here is your chance for the Silver Arrow. Do you want to ride it?” With a deep smile she offered her broom to the boy.

As he asked her how she was doing, her smile faltered but she forced it back on her face. “I am okay, I guess. Normal christmas blues. I miss my family. I haven’t seen them in over two years.” Yeah, that was a good way to sum it up for now. She had told him that she had lived in New Zealand. She liked Aaron and something about his vibe made her tell the truth without going into depth tho.
Was he humbled too? Was this why he was here? “How about you?”

Biting her own lip to stop talking, she shook her head. “I don’t want to keep you. The ride on a Silver Arrow is something you don’t postpone!” She looked stern in a joking manner and jumped to her feet, offering her hand to pull the boy up. She would leave the decision to him if he wanted to ride alone or with her. She would be okay with both.

@Aaron Jones

@Ileen Knight