On your broomsticks! [OPEN]

[theboywhodied]

Following the instructions given to him by crew members here and there, Cedric stepped through a green archway tucked on a corner of the fifth floor and entered a grey void. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the sort of place that would be perfect for a day of flying. He imagined a bright grassy plain, a large lake, and a forest off to the side. Vague memories turned into vivid images surrounding him, so thoroughly convincing that he really believed he'd been taken from the ship and placed on a field back on Earth. It was quite a convincing illusion
.
All it needed now was the key piece: a group of brooms. He thought for a moment on which brooms to provide them with. Firebolts were the world standard, but he'd never known one well enough to be able to picture it accurately. The school brooms, Shooting Stars, were nice and safe for new riders but not quite reliable. In the end, he knew his own broom best: a sleek Nimbus 2001, gifted by his father. As long as he instructed the fliers to go slowly, they should be safe on those brooms.

Visitors would find Cedric side-mounted on a broom in his black and yellow Quidditch robes, gliding just slightly over the grass. As soon as he spotted them, he'd greet them enthusiastically and move to touch down. "Hi!"

((ooc: wide open for everyone to join in! We'll be doing some group exercises too, so thread around! Fly as a group when you're ready!))

Comments

[theboywhodied]

"A Golden Snitch. It's an enchanted golden ball that certain players chase in a Quidditch game---that's our sport, played on brooms. I captained a team at my school."

Cedric was happy to admit it, flicking his wand and setting off a stream of bubbles to prove his point. "Yeah, but we prefer robes. They're warmer in the cold months. I suppose you haven't met us before?"

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"I have a friend who has a magic hammer but I've never seen anyone with a wand, let alone a wizard." Janet flew around to poke the bubbles for fun.

"So, how is this Quidditch game played?"

((OOC: Does he accidentally catch her in this thread or in the group flying thread?))

[theboywhodied]

Cedric was happy to see that. It must be wonderful, having natural flying ability without being dependent on a broom that could be taken away from you. He was irritated about that.

"There are fourteen players on the field at a time, seven for each team. The hoops are rather high above the ground, but there's no limit to how high or low a player can fly. Some of the players attempt to throw a ball through the hoops on each end, and a Keeper---a goalkeeper---from the opposing team tries to stop them. Two heavy balls called Bludgers are enchanted to attack the players, and Beaters whack them with clubs to aim them at the other team. It goes on until one of the Seekers catches the Golden Snitch, a tiny golden ball that zooms at high speeds and is very difficult to catch. It's about your size, actually."

((In the group thread, I think, when it gets going---the ouching should be public!))

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

For once, Janet did not fidget when someone was explaining. Instead, she crossed her legs in mid-air and listened attentively. "That sounds like a mix of soccer and basketball with a few magical elements added."

She smiled a small grin when he mentioned that she was as small as a snitch. "Is it a compliment to be compared to the golden snitch?"

[theboywhodied]

"I'm not the most familiar with Muggle sports, but I think that sounds about right." He shrugged, happily conjuring a Snitch and watching it buzz around.

"Well it's not a bad thing unless you happen to be flying near some Seekers. Flying as fast as we do, someone might mistake you for what they're really looking for and try to snatch you up."

Surely Cedric would never make such a mistake, right?

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I'm as reflective and golden as the actual snitch from what I gather." Janet replied and flew up to the broomstick, inspecting it closely.

"How fast can you fly on this?"

((OOC: When should Janet join the group flying thread?))

[theboywhodied]

"No, but we don't have much time to figure out exactly what we're looking at. The team that catches the Snitch almost always wins the game, so we're always racing each other. The tactics can get...fairly disastrous at times."

He grinned and drifted to the side, giving himself plenty of space. "This fast!" He took off, and within a few seconds he was shooting across the lake and over the forest at top speed. He looped and twisted, soon coming back to the spot where he thought he'd left Janet. She was here, right?

"It's amazing once you have a handle on it."

((I'll make a thread under that thread when people start posting in it. I'm making the note bigger now.))

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"That is impressive but I think I'm faster." Being the proud show off she was, Janet took off at an impressive speed thanks to her small size. She flew along the same route he did and returned back, stopping inches in front of his face without a sweat.

[theboywhodied]

"Oh, are you?" Before he could say anything more, Janet was off! It was incredibly hard to see her, but he could definitely feel her return. And judging by the size of his open eyes, he was impressed.

"You are," Cedric had to concede. "Do you do something that requires all that speed?"

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

Janet was pleased at his shocked state and replied. "Not really. I just have to keep myself streamlined and have lots of practice, I guess."

[theboywhodied]

"Huh. You sure you don't play on any teams? I'll bet you're great at it."

She had the build and the drive to do something spectacular, he thought.

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"A team? I guess you could call The Avengers a team... We go out and fight villians, save the world and stuff." Janet then realized that Cedric asked if she played any sports on a team and she got slightly flustered.

"Oh, you mean sports! No, I have a lot of crime fighting to do to have time for leisure."

[theboywhodied]

"Oh, you're another one of those heroes! I've met some of you. You seem to fit right in on the ship. Fighting's nothing new to you."

To them, at least. He was still a student with some defensive training that needed more of it. "Do you ever have time for a break?"

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"We try to relax as much as we can between missions but they always get interrupted. I know I got my time at the pool cut short once. It started snowing out of no where." Janet shivered a bit at the memory.

She flew over to sit on his broom, it was a little tiring to buzz her wings for long periods of time.

((OOC: So when would Cedric demonstrate snitch catching for the group?))

[theboywhodied]

Cedric shifts his hands to ensure that she'd have enough space on the broom. "Snow when you were trying to swim? How awful. I dove into a lake in winter once, but that was...different. I had no choice."

Why couldn't the underwater task have been at a warmer time? No one had ever answered that question. He shook his head, wondering.

"But you won't be busy all the time here?"

((I'm gonna try for tonight. If I get something from someone there'll be a link in my next comment))

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"You had no choice?!" Janet's eyes widened like saucers. "Who forced you? I would sting them."

She shook her head at his last question. "No. In fact, I've been pretty bored on the ship. There doesn't seem to be any villians on the ship and the only bad guys are the Ohm everyone keeps talking about."

[theboywhodied]

"Well it was my choice to start," Cedric recalled. "I entered my name into the Triwizard Tournament. Three wizards are chosen from three schools of magic to compete, and once your name is in you have to complete all the tasks. I suppose it was an endurance task. I tried warming spells to keep myself safe, but I still needed to be given blankets and a heating potion."

He vividly recalled all of Madam Pomfrey's endless fussing with a smile.

"You'll be fighting on those missions, though, right? I haven't been out there yet. It's a little overwhelming."

((thread is here!))

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"Aww, you poor thing..." Janet looked up at him with an affectionate smile.

"Missions? I didn't hear of them. I guess I should pay more attention next time." If she wasn't so cooped up in Hank's lab, she might have heard the announcement.


((OOC: On my way!))

[theboywhodied]

Cedric smiled down at her. "I made it through...the tournament, at least. And I like to think I didn't do too badly." He wasn't so lucky immediately afterward.

"Yeah. We'll be chosen for missions every so often. We'll have to fight, collect things, or engage in some diplomatic task. I haven't been out there yet, but I've heard they're dangerous."

[volatile-vespa.livejournal.com]

"If that's the case, I'm going to check my omnicomm every day." Janet took out her device and at the same moment, her wings started to buzz and she was drifting around.

"I'll see you around, Cedric!" She gave him a wave and a smile.