remdate. [ dec 26, 24 ]───location. [ home of the drake's ]───tags. [ @ulysses drake ]rem
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What she had initially expected to be drab of a day of the winter holiday, proved to be far superior to what Remedy anticipated.

The Vipress had not expected the impromptu visit to the familiar home of Perseus and Beatrice Drake so early after Christmas, but nonetheless, she and her parents would find themselves standing at the front door bright and early. It was always a pleasant occasion to be a guest at the Drake's, whether it was the comforts of Perseus' cooking and comedy, the frequent card games the families would jointly partake in, the occasional bicker-fest between housewives Beatrice and Hyacinth, or Ulysses' company should the pubescent boy be in the mood for socializing. Even on the days when Ulysses locked himself in his room, excluding himself from her companionship, Percy and Beatrice would heavily dote on Remedy as if the girl was one of their own draconic brood, indulging her as much as Derrick or Hyacinth would allow permit.

Another unexpected surprise to Remedy's visit was the canine among the dragons. Montrose, the adorable Wexford Half-Crup Ulysses dubbed after his favorite Quidditch team, clung to his side nearly every second of the day. It didn't take long for her to also grow quite fond of the pup despite never having been much of the "dog person," affectionately monikering the crup "Monty" and devoting her day to supplicating her father for one too. To no one's surprise, Derrick had dismissed the notion; however, Beatrice would smartly quip that Remedy was always welcome to come over and play with Monty whenever she wished.

This would sate her need on the matter at least for the time being.

The following day was expended both indoors and out, all of that time devoted to engaging with both Ulysses and his crup, Monty. Eventually the canine would grow exhausted by their hours of antics, therefore Ulysses had persuaded Remedy to engage him for a mock-Quidditch game of sorts. Her fellow snake would offer one of his many brooms, and they'd be off.

How did Remedy allow herself to be convinced by him to participate in such folly? She had not a clue, but these violent delights have violent ends or something, and oh how the Vipress adored a challenge. It would be foolish to deny that Ulysses was the equally matched contender; there was a reason why the Cloud Cobras dominated so many games at Hogwarts and that Ulysses was rightfully first-string.

Bludger after bludger, Ulysses would attempt to knock Remedy off her broom as the girl soared, dodged, and weaved through the air, scoring as many points through the empty hoop as she could in the time frame. It wasn't until one of the bludgers Ulysses skillfully batted into the air made near contact with her side, swiftly grazing the fabric of her jacket, that Remedy's flight became wobbly and unsteady midair. Skillfully clinging to the broom's handle and steadying herself, sucking in the cold air to relax her frazzled nerves from the near-impact, she'd slow her speed and hover in the air while glaring down upon the Beater.

"Bollocks, Uly! Are you trying to kill me?!" the Vipress ranted furiously from above. The only evidence of the lighthearted nature banter of her remark was the faint smile that dawned on her countenance, "That must be why you dragged me out here for this game, is it not?"

It was the day after Christmas and Ulysses Drake was having one of the best breaks since going to Hogwarts. His Dad was home the entire time, his mom seemed pleased that he was doing well enough in school and it was nice to see his littlest brother, especially while Atti and he were both at Hogwarts. He'd been able to spend some of the break with a friend who stayed for a bit and now it was time for the Drakes to invite over Remedy and her parents to their home in the countryside of England for a day of relaxation and camaraderie. Their London home was where they spent most of their time, but Perseus loved the space to roam free, especially with mystical creatures that were safe enough to keep on their farm. With an enchanted wardrobe connecting their homes, it was simple enough to connect the two, but they often kept the wardrobe locked for safety measures.

He wasn't entirely sure if Remedy was being less annoying these days or what, but it was feeling as though they were friends again and it seemed like Quidditch helped with that immensely. They had been friendly before Hogwarts but the school, especially the Slytherins, could be cutthroat and maybe Uly wasn't refined enough for her in the beginning. It wasn't anything he had a true understanding of, but he often felt as a burden to her, especially in academic spaces. Uly felt it best to keep his distance, but it was nice to feel like they had a moment where they could be themselves once again.

Montrose, Ulysses' companion, the adorable Wexford Half-Crup even seemed to bewitched the ice witches' heart as they played fetch with him for a while until Uly had the brilliant idea to get Remedy some practice. As a second-string Chaser, she hardy any play time but during practice, she could be a ferocious player if she didn't let the speed or potentially getting hit with a bludger freak her out.

So he took it upon himself to hit her as hard he could — which, he didn't truly know his own strength, to help rid such a fear from her mind. He'd been knocked out twice so far in Broom Racing and Quidditch, it was the name of the game. With magic, there wasn't much that couldn't be fixed.

Ulysses stayed on the ground while Remedy was up in the air. They had enough space and a makeshift Quidditch Pitch in the farmlands of their home to allow them to practice while still being close enough to their home. " Stop being afraid of the bludger, wuss. " His words were sharp and matter-of-fact in the way Uly always spoke. " You keep wincing when you think it's close to hitting you. You're losing speed for self-preservation. Stop worrying about getting knocked on your ass, Rem. " His tone was serious, a knife for the Vipress to decide the depth of his brutal honesty.

" If I wanted to kill you, well. I guess this is how i'd do it. " A chuckle escaped his lips as he kneeled into the Quidditch trunk to keep Remedy on her toes, until he felt a courage bubbling up in his guts as he decided he'd ask something that had been weighing on him since returning back to school in Fall.

" You know, you're way nicer to me here then at school. " His darkened gaze lifted in the sky to meet his friend's gaze as he grabbed at another bludger and whacked it with all of his strength in the opposite direction of Remedy, allowing its sporadic movement to flutter around for the girl to dodge. " Why is that? "

remdate. [ dec 26, 24 ]───location. [ home of the drake's ]───tags. [ @ulysses drake ]rem
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His brutal honesty as sharp as a blade, enough to cut through the bullshit — one of Ulysses' most defining traits, one that Remedy came to appreciate most. Although her gratitude and admiration for him would not be outwardly expressed, for a number of unspoken reasons, the Vipress attempted to heed his every word. Any proper guidance Ulysses would bestow upon Remedy, the girl would take it to heart, not in a sentimental way, but internally deciphering how to integrate his cutting advice.

She didn't protest his sharp critiques and nodded in understanding; the girl had earned her place on the esteemed Cloud Cobras, but maintaining her valued position would be half the battle. Her very first game, only one day after her first Quidditch practice, would be the one to strike fear into her heart. Coming close to losing her grip, narrowly dodging rogue bludger, too caught up witnessing Ulysses fall off his— it was a trigger that Remedy didn't quite know how to reverse. But Ulysses was right; Remedy had to confront their fear of the bludger for their next series of games swiftly approaching.

With a steadying breath, the Chaser nodded affirmatively without retort or disregard. With narrowed eyes, she observed as the boy slowly knelt towards the leather Quidditch trunk while holding her gaze. Remedy leaned forward and braced herself, her body nearly twitching to resume her flight at newfangled speeds, preparing to cut and weave through the air on his broom.

His blunt question would catch the Vipress off guard more than any bludger could, and when the girl least expected it, Ulysses would skillfully whack yet another bludger in her direction. Her mind returned to his advice and attempted to calm her panicked nerves as the bludger barrelled speedily towards her. Instead of watching the bludger during her flight, Remedy flew as fast as she could without so much a care. The girl couldn't help but laugh excitedly as she carved through the air, a newfound sense of freedom overcoming her former apprehension.

Once the girl had shaken the bludger's trajectory, Remedy hovered a few feet off the ground to respond to his probing question.

"I dunno, I guess it's like a defense mechanism when we're at school," she began, "My cousin Avery, he warned me after he became Prefect that I can't appear small or weak otherwise people will mess with us. And I wanted to make him and our family proud, you know?" She paused briefly, "But I realized that I have since treated those I care about poorly in the process...Helena, you. I'm sorry."