trans_9 | On your broomsticks! [OPEN]

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On your broomsticks! [OPEN]

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!))

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Kaya smiled. She pretty much figured that Cedric would be thinking it was magic, but that at least made sense: his world was full of magic, after all.

"Well, there are the baths on the ship too," Kaya said. "My friend Billy was able to make one for people who missed actual baths, and there's even a sauna place, with steam and everything! And if you want a pool, there's always the one at the hotel!"

Both of those places sounded wonderful. Cedric could almost feel his expression lightening. The Quidditch exercises today hadn't been real, but he'd worn his body down all the same.

"I'd love to use them. Are they open?"

"I should hope so," Kaya said. "I know for sure the pool is open of course, since I'm the one that maintains it, but the baths should still be working, I think. I guess you must have worked up a sweat with all of the other people who came to this, right?"

She was right, of course. Cedric laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. I hope it hasn't bothered you. I'll be cleaning up as soon as possible."

With that, though, he tried to smile. "So would you like to head back into the open air?"

Kaya laughed. "As much as I train and make sure that I stay in fit shape? Trust me, I'd have no room to stand on. But why not visit the baths with me> You can clean up and we can relax and talk."

She nodded. "Definitely! I think I'm starting to get a hang of this whole flying thing!"

"You're sure?" Cedric lifted an eyebrow. "It's short notice, isn't it? Someone like you is very busy, I'm sure. Can't picture you lying around."

It did sound very tempting, though. He'd deal with certain other issues when they came up.

"Trust me, I wouldn't make the offer if I didn't have the time!" Kaya said, laughing. "I do my share of lying around, just not lately. I am pretty active on the ship though: I try to manage as much as I can, within reason."

She gave him a hand. "So what do you say? I should at least have a chance to repay you for all the wonderful things you've shown me."

"It's a deal," Cedric agreed, shaking her hand and dismissing the illusion. They now stood in the grey void once more, right next to the exit into the rest of the ship. He edged toward it.

"Should I stop to pick up anything, though? I've just moved into the bus down in the city. My things are there, but I don't know what I'll need."

"Excellent," Kaya said, smiling. "Yes, I think you'd want to go and pick up some trunks or some.."

She trailed off. "Wait, WHAT? You live on the bus!? I do too! I must not have been going home enough, if I didn't notice that you live there!"

Kaya's expression of shock amused him. He laughed as they made their way down to the City, toward said bus.

"Negi invited me to stay. It's not quite the same as my home dormitory, but I don't mind it. It's nice to live around other people. Not quite as lonely."

Soon enough, they were at said bus and he was scrambling to pick up his things. "It's a bit of a mess, I apologise."

Kaya did feel a little surprised that even something would have passed under her notice.
"I'm glad you have a place to stay then! There's no place better than the bus!"

She laughed. "I think I can stand a little bit of mess, I'm sturdy enough! I should show you the other classrooms in this place though: the last person who lived there, the onw how owned the bus, gave me the key cards."

She did look slightly sad, saying that.

By then, Cedric had re-emerged in a loose shirt and the trunks he'd bought on Happy Happy Fun World, towel slung over his shoulder. He leaned forward, sensing pain there.

"The owner's not here anymore?"

Kaya shook her head. "No, and he had been here on the ship for a long time too. But he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet, willing to give you the shirt right off his back. He's the one who made it possible for all of the people that live here to live here in the first place. His name was Matt Olsen."

She smiled sadly, then made herself brighten. "And that's another story for another time. Come on, let's get you to the baths!"

"You can tell me about him while we're there. If you'd like to, that is," Cedric suggested gently, walking with her toward their destination. Out of the bus, down some streets...oh, it'd be worth seeing for sure.

"I could go on fora awhile. He was a good guy: he even served on the council for a little while, you've heard of it, right? The governing body that makes decisions on the ship. Their equivalent would be, um, I think Luna called it your ministry? Before the corruption, of course."

She had him by the hand, of course, getting him closer to the baths until they reached the entrance. "Ok, there are the baths, and there is the sauna. If you want to get clean, just go to the boy's part, and I'll be waiting for you in the coed sauna part, all right?"

"Sounds like he was a good friend to you," Cedric said innocently, not knowing the half of it. But they were at the entrance then, and he warmly squeezed Kaya's hand before releasing it. He hadn't said it, but he appreciated the small comforts she provided. Something anchoring him to the world, subtly letting him know that life went on.

"All right. I won't be too long, there's still more I have to know!" With one more smile, he disappeared down the appropriate hallway into the baths, where he lingered for as long as he could get way with. The taps weren't quite up to the standards of the prefects' bathroom, but it was comfortable. After some quiet contemplation as he washed, he cleaned up, tied one of the conveniently provided towels, and shuffled over to the sauna.

"Are you still here?" he called through the doorway. "I might've gotten a little carried away."

"Yes, something like that," she said, but she knew that her sadness was more that he was missing out on so much: Matt,s he knew, would be back someday, hopefully with his Will and in his world properly again.In the meantime, she was still here, and squeezed Cedric's hand back affectionately. No doubt he was still getting used to everything too, especially after dying.

She definitely had sympathy for him. When she went through the girl's side, Kaya found she was alone, and of course not shy: she stripped off her clothes and washed up, making sure to wash her underclothes as well, and decided they needed to dry. So she wrapped a fresh towel around her waist, chest and hair, and went to the sauna side, sitting comfortably.

A moment later, Cedric was there, and she flagged him down. "You were quick!"

"I couldn't keep you waiting," he explained, stepping inside and settling beside her. He felt slightly awkward, but that was far less important than feeling clean and relaxed. This place really was something.

"It was great, though, thank you. I feel like it's been a very long time since I've been clean. Are you feeling better?"

Kaya, of course, felt less bothered by this: while it would have been unthinkable in her nation, the earth Kingdom had places like this if you had connections, and of course Billy had been kind enough to build it with help in the first place. Cedric, she figured, might be a little bothered by her frankness, so she tried her best to seem at ease and comfortable.

"Oh definitely! After all that flying and exploring I needed a dip and away to relax my bones! I figured you might feel the same way."

"I did," he admitted, glad to see that she was all right. Satisfied that nothing was wrong, Cedric relaxed against the the wall and sighed.

"So I gather that you're fairly well connected. Are your other friends around often?"

"Good. To be honest, after all that flying and exploring, I needed the time to relax as well. So I think this will be a treat for the both of us."

She grinned. "Well, I guess being connected is a way of putting it. They're usually around, although I've only had a little time with them lately, I've been so overwhelmed in med bay. there's Billy and Ronnae and Howard and Applejack..."

Cedric wholeheartedly agreed. What did appearances matter? They were here to unwind, and the steamy air was already helping him loosen up. Hogwarts had needed one of these rooms.

"I think I know some of those names. Billy's that good friend of yours who worked for this. And I definitely know Howard," he chuckled. "Is he always so worried?"

Kaya was definitely caring little about appearances: if she did, she might care a little more that she was only dressed in towels. Of course, that was less about appearances and more about how she used to get clean in travels.

"Yes, Billy is one of the smartest, sweetest people I know, and Ronnae, his girlfriend, is equally as nice!" She made a face. "Thats one word to describe Howard. But he's a pretty fun guy too, when you get to know him. Still, his big thing is running away a lot."

"Howard? Fun?" Cedric lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that I can believe you. Intelligent, yes, but he always seems concerned about something."

Not to mention the sense of being judged he sometimes got.

"When he's not scared of things or running, I think so," she said, although even she had trouble saying it, honestly "He's had a hard life, with the Fayz and all."

Poor guy. "But I guess we all had our wars to deal with."

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