Re-Learning to Fly (Open)

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine grinned at everyone as she got ready to get on her broom. “Sorry I’m such a chatterbox this morning. When I’m nervous or excited, I can’t seem to shut up.” She laughed. “Well good luck with the flying. And if you’re having trouble, Zayne, you might want to get your broom’s Cushioning and Braking charms serviced. If they’re off kilter, you’ll have trouble flying even if you’re experienced.” She turned to Michael. “Up for a lap around the pitch? I’ll match your speed. And if you want you can try out my Firebolt,” she grinned. “As long as you promise not to break her.”

Katherine stepped over her broom and settled in. She took off, hovering about five feet up, watching the pitch and examining the field. She watched in horror as Zayne’s broom plowed off, dumping him unceremoniously in a mud puddle. The older boy didn’t seem hurt, and Katherine ignored his plight to spare him any embarrassment. She knew her older male cousins didn’t like her witnessing their spills, some weird thing about her being a girl or something. The Ravenclaw figured that probably applied here as well, so she turned back to her fellow first year.

“Ready for some fun?” Katherine asked Michael, with a laugh in her blue eyes. She let out a whoop and shot straight up into the air, accelerating her Firebolt alarmingly fast. She had made sure the airspace around her was completely clear, something her cousins had taught her back home. Daring maneuvers and aerial tricks were fun, but only if you weren’t smashing into people. But being able to take advantage of the best broom acceleration on the market was a blast. Most people though tearing along at several score miles an hour on an enchanted stick attacked to a hank of twigs was pure insanity, but Katherine loved it. She flew back down to Michael, braking on a dime. “Come on, let’s go have some fun!”

[Michael-Thomas Homewood]

Mike watched Katherine as she mounted her Firebolt and flew through the air. His jaw fell down. Even as a muggleborn student he knew that there weren´t many broomstick which can compete with that Firebolt. This incredible speed impressed him. And she asked him if he want to try it. Of course he want to. He need a faster broomstick. And so he need a feeling for fast ones. But fear filled him a bit. What if he cannot control this broomstick. What if this one is too fast for him?

Katherie stopped beside him and said:“Come on, let’s go have some fun!”. So Mike mounted his broomstick, the stone-aged Comet Two-Sixty, and pushed himself away from the ground. It was a quite odd feeling. The broomstick didn´t seemed to move, so slow was the Comet copared with Katherine´s Firebolt. He envied her. But still he flew through the air and practised some maneuvers a bit before he headed on Katherine.
"I thought you wanted to have some fun. So what are you waiting for??" he said with a little smile.

[Dylan Cooper]

Smiling brilliantly at the Hufflepuff on the ground, he was just overjoyed to be in the air once more. The day that many would call terrible to be outside was relatively perfect for being on the Quidditch pitch – in Dylan’s eyes, anyway; no impeding sunlight, which was normally the worst factor in any game, and the temperature wasn’t too bad despite the weather. Hovering above the grass and facing Zayne as he prepared to take off, he attempted to note his positioning and stance and, not seeing much wrong, waited for him to rise.

Seeing the forced push off, he winced visibly and, without even thinking about it, steered his own broom forwards. His expression serious as the boy jerked forwards and tumbled off his broom, he flew toward him quickly and hopped off almost before the broomstick had stopped moving. “Are you alright?” he asked quickly, soon realising the boy didn’t look too hurt and unable to keep a grin from surfacing onto his features. “Nice landing,” he added jokingly, wanting to be more supportive of what was probably his first attempt but finding it near impossible to restrain himself. It was an effort to just keep himself from laughing, quite honestly.

Extending a hand down to help him up, he thought back on what Zayne might have done to cause such a mishap. “Well, try again and I’ll guide you through it this time,” he offered lightly, not going to make any further comment about the completely unceremonious tumble. Taking a moment to avoid adding any excess embarrassment to the boy, his eyes trailed after Katherine and Michael as they soared through the air, doing laps around the pitch.

[user1991]

//OOC: Sorry this took so long. I've been a little busy \\


Zayne remained face down on the cool muddy ground a little longer than was really necessary, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and willing away the heat coming off his face that he was sure was about to turn the wetness coating the blades of grass around him into steam. Just clear your mind, Zayne. No problem. Just don't think about anything. Sure... Clearing his mind wasn't an issue when he was lying on the ground staring up at the sky with nothing to do but watch the clouds. But with people around and something to be accomplished, and the need to do well forefront in his mind, he found it a little more difficult to let go. Zayne heard Dylan dismount near him, hitting the ground with a squelch and moving over toward him. He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back, sticking his arms behind his head and relaxing there on the ground as if he'd meant to fall the whole time.

“What can I say? I'm a natural.” With a shrug and wide, playful grin at his companions comment, Zayne took Dylan's offered hand and levered himself up off the ground, wiping at the grime on his face with his free hand. Glancing up with what he hoped was an unconcerned air, he was relieved to see that the two younger fliers hadn't seemed to have noticed his tumble. Nodding his thanks to Dylan for the assistance and moving over a few feet to where his broom lay, Zayne picked it up and wiped the handle of with his other hand covered in the lower part of his tee shirt, leaving a long, dirty streak across the dark blue fabric. Then he climbed back aboard the way he'd done before, a slight grimace marring his face at Dylan's words.

“I shouldn't need so much guidance,” Zayne said with a little laugh. “It's not that hard, right? I mean, the broom does most of the work. I just need to direct it. Problem is figuring out how to direct.” Zayne pulled up on the handle of the broom and waved it around as if trying to steer it. “I think it's the up and down. My mind doesn't want to grasp the idea of moving anyway but forwards and backwards.”

[Dylan Cooper]

Seeing Zayne roll onto his back, Dylan was just glad that there were no obvious injuries anywhere on him and hoped he would be keen to try again. He knew some people that had tried once, failed, and given up on it; one person in particular, and the memory of her story brought a small laugh to his lips. Thinking on such a reaction, he hoped the Hufflepuff wouldn't take offence and think it had been directed toward his own fall.

Truly laughing at him this time, or rather his reply, he helped him up before grabbing his own broom and drifting it towards himself. Watching as the other boy hopped onto his broomstick, he scrutinised the way he held it, the way he sat, and grimaced slightly. Noticing there was also still a little bit of mud on the handle, he looked ever so slightly annoyed before continuing.

"Most people need a bit of guidance to start with; that 'I got it first time' story is very rarely true," he explained casually, hoping to make him feel slightly better. "And the broom doesn't really do most of the work - it helps if you think of it more as a partnership." Watching as Zayne waved the handle around, he appeared slightly discontented. "You need to be gentle, subtle. It's not like directing, it's more like... guiding. It sounds a bit hokey, but if you try to control it too tightly it won't react anywhere near as well as if you work with it. Just close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and take as long as you need to sort of... get acquainted... with your broom. When you're ready, try it again, and don't hold the handle too tightly, just wrap your hands around it gently and don't jump off too hard; a light push will do." It sounded like a lot, but when it came to Quidditch he tended to want to talk a hell of a lot more than usual - normally you couldn't get him to speak, and now you couldn't get him to shut up.

[user1991]

Zayne listened intently to Dylan as he explained a bit more about how to take off. Even though he seemed mildly annoyed about something - probably Zayne's ineptitude and tumble from the broom, something he was used to dealing with and so didn't really give much thought to - Zayne could tell that flying was something Dylan enjoyed and was passionate about, and he couldn't help a grin during the lengthy, but informative, explanation. He had to admit, learning was much better from the point of someone who actually could fly rather than some old guy who used to fly years and years ago and decided to write a book about it. Zayne took every word to heart, doing his best to relax his grip and stance a bit, brushing a bit of remaining mud from the handle and determined to not annoy his instructor by failing again.

It was good to hear Dylan say that most people didn't get it perfectly the first time. How about the first twenty times? he asked himself, that little grimace appearing for a brief second before it was quickly swept away by a look of concentration. Alright, forget it. Just relax, be gentle. Feel it. Zayne closed his eyes and took a breath as Dylan suggested, taking that moment to try and clear his mind. It wasn't easy as it was when he meditated, and Zayne kept picturing clouds behind his closed eyes. If only... Zayne almost slapped himself on the forehead and opened his eyes, looking upwards into the sky. Duh! A small grin turned up the corners of Zayne's lips and he turned his clear, blue-gray gaze up into the clouds, letting his mind fall out of focus much as he did when taking his breaks in the gardens. He found the swirling gray clouds above him able to do what he hadn't when trying his hardest and concentrating with his whole being. His mind slowly emptied of all thoughts, except for one.

The clouds almost felt like they were moving in such a way that they were beckoning to him. The swirling motion moved upward, pulling him up, keeping him steady, cushioning him. The logical bit of Zayne's mind told him that it was impossible for the clouds to be surrounding him; he was too far away from them. And yet something was there. Something that felt light and swift, and strangely steady. Somewhere outside of his mind, Zayne could feel his feet slowly beginning to lift off the ground, his body steadily inching upwards. Zayne's gaze shifted from the clouds above him to the area around him. He couldn't see anything, but something...

Slowly his mind shifted back into reality and he became slowly aware of the figure of Dylan standing in front of and slightly below him. Zayne wasn't up very high, maybe a foot or two, but he hadn't fallen off yet. As he came back to himself, he felt himself begin to smile so widely he thought his lips might split. He got so excited his body started wiggling of its own accord, which of course lead to a tremor shooting through his broom and nearly ended up dislodging him from his seat. Fortunately, he was able to correct himself before ending up with yet another mouthful of dirt and stilled himself and the broom with a slightly alarmed look on his face. Once everything stopped shaking, Zayne gave it a few seconds to be sure he actually was steady, then let the smile creep back onto his features, shooting Dylan a childishly triumphant look while hovering a few feet above him in the air.

[Katherine Knightswood]

"I thought you wanted to have some fun,” shouted Michael. “So what are you waiting for?" His smile was infectious. Katherine took off across the Pitch with a whoop, taking care to match her broom’s speed to Michael’s. His broom might be older, but she was going to offer him a turn on her broom. She could tell he was a Quidditch fan by the gleam in his eye when he’d seen her Firebolt. Katherine’s hair had escaped from her tight French braid in places, and bits of it whipped about, stinging her face and ears. But it felt marvelous.

Katherine did a quick run-through of all the standard Beater loops, twirls and feints, keeping her left hand free, since that was her bat hand. It felt exhilarating to know that she actually had a chance to play this year, instead of having to wait until her second year. Beater, Beater, I want to be a Beater! Who cared about little scars from broken bats or flying in circles so hard you got dizzy? Quidditch was fun and a great way to get rid of the stress of classes. It felt so free to fly up here on the Pitch. Up here there were no cares other than avoiding an accident, and that just came with practice. And more practice, of course.

Katherine drew up after her run with loud, “Wheeeeeeeee!” and a burst of laughter. She scanned the skies for Michael and when she spotted him, drew up within shouting distance. She cupped one hand for a megaphone and used the other to steady her Firebolt in midair. “Hey there, Michael! Want to take a lap or three on this overgrown bunch of twigs? You look like you wanted to take a test fly-by!” She hovered on her broom in the center of the Pitch, grinning hugely. Katherine had a feeling she already knew Michael’s answer . . .

[Dylan Cooper]

Smiling encouragingly as Zayne's grip lightened noticeably and he adjusted his stance slightly, he wondered how on earth he had run out of things to say about Quidditch. Then again, he hadn't really; it was more a case of he wanted to stop rambling in front of someone he had only just met. Grinning in only a slightly awkward manner, he inwardly approved of the intent look of concentration now adorning the Hufflepuff's features.

Waiting patiently and observing every small movement or gesture, his mind roamed briefly back to his fellow Ravenclaw Prefect and a happy smile rose onto his features as the other boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Dylan's eyes lighting up as they couldn't with any other thought, they re-focused onto Zayne as his head tilted toward the vast sky above, his eyes now open. He kept his mouth shut and simply allowed the boy as much time as he needed or desired, choosing to pre-occupy his mind once more with thoughts of D'rorah.

Snapping back into the present as he noticed a distinct movement straight ahead of him, his smile broadened immensely as he saw the fifth year rising from the ground on his broomstick. Emitting a small, pleased laugh at Zayne's overjoyed face, his eyes suddenly widened and the expression was briefly wiped from his features as the broomstick, and it's rider along with it, jolted slightly. Relief washing over him as the boy stayed on his broom and in the air, he caught the cheeky little look on Zayne's features and returned the smile as he hopped onto his own broom.

Dylan pushed off gently and rose quickly to meet and congratulate the Hufflepuff. "Well done! Let's go for a little trip around the pitch," he said lightly, intending to go very slowly to begin with. Rising off the ground was one thing; he didn't really think he should shove Zayne directly into zooming at high speeds about the pitch. "Come on," he added, turning himself around so that the Hufflepuff could just go straight ahead instead of swerving or turning yet. He set off slowly, his broom carrying him along at a pace it wasn't entirely used to; it seemed quite content despite this, however.

[Michael-Thomas Homewood]

Mike flew through the air. It was fun to feel the cold air while rushing through it. Normally he loves wrm places. He never liked cold air. But just in moment it was different.
Normally his ambition was the only one reason why he visited the Quidditch Pitch even in winter. But it was a quite odd feeling. He never practised with some other Quidditch players, neither teammates nor rivals. Flying through the air together and infecting Katherine with his good mood, these facts made him really, really happy.....

“Hey there, Michael! Want to take a lap or three on this overgrown bunch of twigs? You look like you wanted to take a test fly-by!”
Mike heard Katherine clearly while doing some loopings and, when he was upside-down, nearly fell from the broomstick.
"Whooooo!!! That was nearly a nice accident...."
he just thought, but his enthusiasm was unbreakable.
With a bright gleaming in his eyes and an open mouth he said:
"Whaaat??Seriously???Don´t fool me....!!!"
His grin growed into a big smile. He can´t wait for a ride on this wonderful broom stick. The old musty Comet was wiped out of his mind.......