Suri Rider was many things. She was nine years and ten months old. She was a pigtailed brunette and short for her age. She was super duper excited to be meeting famous Quidditch players and yet, at this exact moment in time, Suri Rider was very much DISPLEASED.

Mum had tried to help but the STUPID MINISTRY PEOPLE had decided that SHE, SERENA ELLE RIDER OF THE MAGICAL RIDERS OF LONDON, was a beginner. A NOOB. And then they'd TAKEN HER AWAY FROM HER FRIENDS who, apparently, were all more advanced than her. HER. Psht. Just because his dad had been some hotshot Quidditch star DID NOT MEAN Noah was better than her. In fact, Suri Rider was 99% sure she was a better flyer than him and she was going to PROVE it.

Pouting and frowning and huffing and rolling her eyes all at the same time, Suri GLARED at the kids who were clearly very new to brooms. She was already on one herself, using a regular kid broom and not a TRAINING ONE because, the embarrassment. But but but, but then an adult passed by her and she RECOGNISED HER and OH. *_* QUIDDITCH STAR. SPECIFICALLY FROM THE HARPIES. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP. Suri reached out and YELPED when her fingers just managed to brush the woman's arm. SHE HAD TOUCHED ISOBEL VONHUE. YES YES. WHERE WAS MUM!???!?!?!?!?! SHE NEEDED TO TELL HER. HAD SHE SEEN? ISOBEL VONHUUUUUUUUUEEEEE.

... Okay, perhaps she could be nice. If she was nice the Quidditch players would talk to her. ISOBEL VONHUE would talk to her. Perhaps they'd even give her a MEDAL for helping and being nice! YES. Okay. She was doing that, then. Turning to a kid at random (Wylie), she BEAMED, and didn't notice that he had already mounted his broom. "Hello! Do you need help? I can help you!"

Side eye glance at Quidditch players. Were they looking? LOOK QUIDDITCH PLAYERS LOOK.

Oh wow, that one kid had a helmet. It looked like a paper helmet, but at least it was SOME protection, right? Davie was half-surprised and half-relieved his mum hadn't made him wear a helmet. Helmets inhibited the flow of blood and oxygen and smart thoughts to one's brain, though, which was probably why grown-ups who wore helmets engaged in foolish sporting activities where they could get their brains injured, activities LIKE QUIDDITCH.

Still, the man who said he beat people with Cannons looked intimidating enough for Davie to listen. So he shuffled over to one of the provided brooms and shyly gave it a nudge with his toe. Was anybody else getting on? What if the broom took off unexpectedly with him not properly on it yet? What if these brooms had been tampered with?! What if this whole quidditch camp was just one big opportunity for a big bad scary bad guy to attack the youth?!!!

Davie hesitantly picked up his broom and held it out at an arm's length, his elbow fully extended as he wrinkled his nose at it and gave it a strong LOOK.

"Excuse me," he called out in a little voice to the nearest tall person/instructor. "Have these brooms been checked properly for curses or tampering?"

Mr. Glies Low seemed like a very nice man. He was kind and nice and Alice liked him so far. Alec Summers was there too, but she wasn't heavily impressed with him. He was very, very talked about but he was just a guy. So.. Yeah. Maybe he was also nice, maybe that would make up for his not impressive nature.

"What I like about quidditch?" He replied to Giles. "Well you get to fly which is the coolest and you work as a team!" She smiled and then looked around. There were plenty of other kids here by now, one with a strange helmet, another tha kept talking funny. What was he on about? She'd have plenty of other things to tell her Daddy about.

Right, it was time to do the whole Broom thing. She went over and grabbed one, grasping it tightly just as she was shown and mounted it. THIS WAS WHAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO RIGHT!?

Alice looked around at all the other kids, was there anyone friend-worthy here? Friends would be a nice thing to have. Other friends.. other than Oliver and Diaval, and Max.. a non-family, human friend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordred

Jace was distracted again, when one of the girls in their group called his attention. It was a good thing that she made the first move to interact, because there’s no way that the nine year old boy would jump into conversation head on. It was something that he wanted to do, but he was scared of it. What if they’re rude? What if they don’t like him?

And...what? Jace opened his mouth, and closed it again. No, he was not offended because he gets that compliment most of the time. Though he was educated in an International School back in Japan, his mother’s native language was the default dialect used when he gets home from school. Now that he and his father have transferred to New Castle two years ago, his accent was still a work in progress. “Funny?” he asked in Japanese, his head tilted. The brown haired boy shook his head, and grinned at the girl. Ava...and Teddy. “Hi, Ava. Hi. Teddy. I’m Jace!” He gave both kids a quick wave, and immediately tucked his hands behind him smiling at the both of them.

Making friends isn’t so bad, yeah?

She couldn't help but blink. Oh no, couldn't he speak English properly? Ava didn't have any idea what did he just say. But then he spoke again introducing himself. Oh, he could speak English! Good, hehe.

"Hi Jace." She grinned. "Nice to meet you! Where are you coming from by the way?" She asked and hopefully it didn't sound rude. She was curious because Jace was mentioning a foreign language word before. She'd never met any kids speaking other language than English. Well, her mother tutored her and Teddy to speak Russian too but it was difficult. Unlike Teddy, she only could speak Russian a little.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessiqua

Teddy gave Ava a worried look. Why was she always telling him off for being so slow? He liked to take his time, he didn't need to be in the place he needed to be at warp speed. He walked as far as his legs and lungs would take him, unless he was trying to run. But he supposed she teased him for being slow for the same reason he teased her for other things. It didn't matter, even though she was annoying sometimes he still loved her. He ducked away from further poking and pinching, and didn't want to poke or pinch her in front of other people. He didn't want people watching him. "Yes I'm excited," he said, though he wasn't 100% excited. Maybe… maybe 85% excited. At LEAST 75%.

The brunette girl just eyed her twin brother. He didn't seem... excited. Teddy didn't really like any physical activities and he often spent his time reading books or just playing with some of his nerd toys rather than playing outside while she was kind of opposite. It was kinda hard to force persuade him join this camp at first. But well, here he was now.

"You should be." She said. "Come on! It should be fun flying with brooms and don't be afraid to be injured." Okay, being injured was bad. One day she tried to climb a tree at their backyard but then she fell down and broke her arm. It was painful, but it didn't make her avoid the tree climbing because it was fun. Sometimes all activites that she thought they were fun were the dangerous one, didn't know why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Looking back to the young lady, Ava he smiled “It’s nice to meet you Ava. Well we are going to wait to let everyone get here so we can start together. It will be easier that way.” No sense in them just giving instructions five or six times. Yes they would start really soon. These girls were adorable as well, taking Alice’s hand he shook it lightly, “Nice to meet you.” Could she do anything, “Well if you want to tell what you like about Quidditch you could. Do a little get to know you piece while we wait.” That could always be fun.

Speaking of it was probably time to get them moving. “Okay guys let’s get started. If anyone else comes they can jump right in. As I said before I’m Giles Low, I play beater for the Cannons, myself and my friends are going to help you learn how to fly today. The first thing I need you to do is get a broom and hold it firmly in your hand like this. Once you have a firm grip on it, you will want to put your leg over and get settled on it.” He demonstrated. “Now go ahead and try that much.” Starting them off slow was probably the best way to go.

Okay then, once they were allowed to pick a broomstick she would run as fast as possible to get a good one. Ava just waited until the first training started.

Oh, he was a beater!! Being beater was fun, she wanted to play as a beater. Once they were allowed to pick a broom, she ran quickly to get a good one but then she just stood there. "Could you tell me which one is good and fast for me?" Because she was clueless about picking a broom. She was doing eenie meenie miny moo to decide which broom that she should pick. "Do you think this one is good for me?" Again she asked.

SPOILER!!: not quoting Jess but for Teddy and Jace

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordred

Jace scratched his head in confusion as he observed Teddy. Was he okay? He sounded like he was about to faint any moment. Was he nervous? “Are you okay?” he asked subconsciously in Japanese. The nine year old looked around, quite embarrassed because, none of them can understand him. “Sorry.” Try again? “Is...everything alright Teddy?” Should he be scared too?

She noticed that her twin brother looked pale. Well, he always looked pale but this one was different. Seemed like he's gonna throw up anytime soon. He was afraid, yeah she knew that. Then the Jace boy asking him again in foreign language. Huh? "He will be okay, Jace. Don't worry" She answered and tapped Teddy's shoulder.

"Come on, Teddy. You can do this, don't be scared. It's gonna be fun." At least she tried to be a supportive twin sister now. Honestly she was scared too but her excitement was too much higher than her fear.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

Oh wow, that one kid had a helmet. It looked like a paper helmet, but at least it was SOME protection, right? Davie was half-surprised and half-relieved his mum hadn't made him wear a helmet. Helmets inhibited the flow of blood and oxygen and smart thoughts to one's brain, though, which was probably why grown-ups who wore helmets engaged in foolish sporting activities where they could get their brains injured, activities LIKE QUIDDITCH.

Still, the man who said he beat people with Cannons looked intimidating enough for Davie to listen. So he shuffled over to one of the provided brooms and shyly gave it a nudge with his toe. Was anybody else getting on? What if the broom took off unexpectedly with him not properly on it yet? What if these brooms had been tampered with?! What if this whole quidditch camp was just one big opportunity for a big bad scary bad guy to attack the youth?!!!

Davie hesitantly picked up his broom and held it out at an arm's length, his elbow fully extended as he wrinkled his nose at it and gave it a strong LOOK.

"Excuse me," he called out in a little voice to the nearest tall person/instructor. "Have these brooms been checked properly for curses or tampering?"

She glanced at the boy with glasses. Holy Merlin, he was being smart. It wasn't bad, Teddy was smart too (and sometimes it could be annoying). It seemed he was worried if something bad happened. Was she the only one who was excited at this group? Maybe. "I think they have and the brooms are safe for us." The brunette girl answered. "Because they don't wanna risk any kids to be injured. Right, sir?" She eyed the instructor.

Isobel smiled at the boy. "Well then, you better keep your promise to your grandma." Was he nervous? Isobel didn't know which of the kids had flown before and which ones were complete beginners. She heard the boy introduce himself as Lancelot and tucked that information away in case it was useful later.



Oh, so they were going to start. It did seem logical, considering most of the kids were there so whoever happened to show up late would just be able to jump in. She didn't mind Giles taking the lead, at least someone had. Isobel kept an eye on the kids as they mounted their brooms, in case any of them needed help. It turned out one girl did. Isobel hurried over.

"Are you okay?" Isobel held out a hand in case the girl wanted some help getting up. "What's your name?" It would be good to know the names of as many kids as she could. And she should give this girl some tips for staying on her broom, but she was going to figure out if she was okay first. Her fall hadn't looked like it would cause any serious injury, but better safe than sorry.



Isobel kept moving around, trying to keep an eye on all the kids in case they needed help. Of course, there were other quidditch players there to help them but she was prepared as well. As she was walking she felt something gently brush against her arm. What was that? She looked down, but there was nothing there. Isobel turned slightly, but all she saw was the group of kids. What? One of the girls was already mounted, and looked confident about her abilities. And she was trying to help the others. Isobel smiled at her before turning to another boy who was asking a question.



Isobel heard the boy's voice and went over to him as he asked a question. Had the brooms been checked? She hadn't thought any of these kids would have thought to ask a question like that. Clearly, she could not remember what it had been like to be this young. She regarded the boy very seriously; his question had been serious so the answer had to be as well.

"I'm sure the ministry did check them thoroughly," she replied. Actually, she had no idea. But they probably had. "They made sure that everything was up to standard to ensure your safety." Hopefully that made him feel better. She didn't want anyone to have to worry about not being safe while at the camp.

Another check around her showed Isobel that most of the kids had mounted their brooms. The rest were working on it, and would be there in no time. She decided that it was a good time to move on. Isobel moved to a more central location and raised her voice so everyone could hear.

"If you're ready on your brooms, you can try and fly now. Just kick up off the ground and hover a few feet in the air for now." For some of them, that would be difficult enough and might take a few tries. The ones who had an easy time would just have to be patient and wait until they were ready to actually start flying around. Isobel looked to her fellow quidditch players. "If some of them still need help getting on their brooms, a couple of us can stay and help them. The rest of us should fly around with the kids to help them." They had all probably come to the same conclusion already, but saying it out loud helped her feel organized. Isobel had her broom and was eager to fly with the kids, but that was not necessary yet as so far they were all still on the ground and when they did fly they would only be a few feet off the ground at the moment.

Why did she have to be so clumsy?

Cursing under her breath Alexandra sat on the grass and eyed her broom suspiciously as the pain started to dissolve. Looking up as Torie came over trying to keep himself from making fun of her she stuck her tongue out at him saying "Don't you dare laugh Torie. I didn't do this. The broom knocked me off, honest."

As one of the adults hurried over, she reassured the woman with a sideways glance at Torie. "I'm fine. Luckily I wasn't high up in the air. I think I even escaped bruises." Accepting the womans offered hand she used it pull herself up on her feat. "My name is Alexandra."

Looking over at the broom she had chosen Zandra asked a hint of a pount in her tone. "What’s the trick? I don’t want to get knocked off again. And are brooms programmed to knock people off if they don’t like them or something?" She was not amused.

Continuing to sneak peaks to see what everyone else was doing, Lance slowly swung his leg over the broom, flashing a confident smile towards Jace as he did so... only to swing his leg back around again off the broom in a hurry. SMART KID SAID WHAT?

His broom could be cursed?! "Whaaaat..."

Although the nice instructor lady denied that idea, he still eyed his broom warily as he, once again, slowly swung his leg over it. He stilled when his foot delicately touched the ground. This was... simple. No injuries happened yet. Some of that fake confidence he held began to turn real. He got this!

He...did not have this. The instructor lady wanted them to kick off from the ground. Were his hands the only ones that suddenly got sweaty? What if he slipped off the broom because of sweaty hands!? His grandmother would not be pleased. It was back to watching what everyone else was doing for him. Which was the best decision of his LIFE because he spotted a familiar face.

"WYLIE!" He gave a big wave towards the boy. "HEY WYLIE!"

He fought so hard not to laugh, especially when Xandra stuck her tongue out at him. At least the quidditch person was helping her with her broomstick. He just sighed as they were told to kick off the ground and hover there midair now. He wanted to fly!!! He looked around wondering if he'd be in BIG trouble if he kicked off too hard. Or if maybe they wouldn't notice him flying off? He glanced towards the quidditch peoples and kicked off the ground soaring upwards a few more feet than they were told to.

He smirked a little looking down towards the quidditch players and other students. If they wanted to know how much experience they had had, why did they put he and Jay in the beginners group? There were 2 groups for 9-11 year olds... Hmmm he eyed the course, wondering if he should dare.

Oh good, the girl didn't seem hurt. She was able to move just fine, and she didn't seem to be wincing in pain. Isobel was glad that her initial interpretation had been correct and that the fall hadn't caused the girl any substantial injuries. Now she could help Alexandra and answer her questions.

"Make sure you have a firm grip," Isobel started. Without that, the rest of her tips would be pointless. "When you're on the ground, just keep the broom straight and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. When you're in the air, make sure your legs are also firmly around the room. You can squeeze tight when you first start out, but you'll be able to relax more once you get the hang of it. It's usually best to lean forward just slightly, and keep the tip of your broom positioned toward the ground a tiny bit. Not too much or you'll just fall forward."

Alexandra was a beginner, so she had to start slow. Isobel knew that once she had been practicing for a while, she would start to get the hang of it and be able to fit more naturally with the broomstick. She gave the girl an encouraging smile because it was time for her to try to mount the broom once again. Isobel would stay close in case she had any more questions or needed any more help.

"The broom won't knock you off, but you do have to be gentle with it. It will respond easier than you think so keep your movements slow and be careful until you get the hang of it. You have to get used to the feel of the broom and then it will start to feel as if it can read your mind." Well, maybe not these training brooms but, in Isobel's opinion, that was certainly how broomsticks behaved.

WAIT.

A.

MINUTE.

Is was time to fly? Already!? This Quidditch Pro lady, whose name he did not know because he did not follow Quidditch because it was the most dangerous thing a person could do and why would he want to follow that, was telling them to kick off the ground? Sure, Wylie already KNEW he was sitting on the broom the proper way, he didn't need to follow the sport to know THAT, but wasn't she going to check?

JUST TO MAKE SURE?

He wasn't even convinced that those brooms were SAFE to even FLY. He eyed the thing carefully, all while PURPOSELY ignoring LANCELOT, who was calling his name. Wylie had seen him. Wylie had made sure he was nowhere near him. Wylie wanted to knock that toilet paper helmet right off his head.

And then place it on his own head, to keep himself safe.

Help, though? DID he need help? Why, yes. Yes he did. Wylie unmounted his broom and shuffled just a liiiiiiittle bit closer to the girl who was so KINDLY offering him her help. WAS SHE EVEN LOOKING AT HIM!? Even if she wasn't, he was handing his broom to HER. "See if this is safe for me!" And if it was, then he would MAYBE do all that stuff the Quidditch Pro lady was saying.

James had watched his brother's interaction with the girl named Xandra with interest and slight amusement. He'd been enjoying it so much that he hadn't even gotten on his broom yet. He looked up when Torie kicked off and then smirked and did the same. He loved flying. It had been the cause of many arguments between them when they were racing and they'd played Quidditch Goalie against mum and dad and scored a few times. Heh. He glanced in the direction Torie was looking and shook his head. "Mum will know and we'll get our butts kicked." Now, was Xandra flying yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

She glanced at the boy with glasses. Holy Merlin, he was being smart. It wasn't bad, Teddy was smart too (and sometimes it could be annoying). It seemed he was worried if something bad happened. Was she the only one who was excited at this group? Maybe. "I think they have and the brooms are safe for us." The brunette girl answered. "Because they don't wanna risk any kids to be injured. Right, sir?" She eyed the instructor.

Being smart meant being CAUTIOUS, to Davie, and he wasn't going to take any chances today, not even if all the other kids were. NOT EVEN THEN.

"Well maybe that's what they want you to think," he answered the girl-participant who was not Charlotte. Didn't she know what went on at the Ministry, or at Hogwarts? This was a Ministry-SPONSORED event, for Circe's sake! Didn't she read the papers?!?! This could be part of the MLE Head's plan to take over the world!!!!!!!

Okay, well, he was probably the only ten-year-old who enjoyed picking up the Daily Prophet from the front steps every morning.... but one could never be too cautious!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Isobel heard the boy's voice and went over to him as he asked a question. Had the brooms been checked? She hadn't thought any of these kids would have thought to ask a question like that. Clearly, she could not remember what it had been like to be this young. She regarded the boy very seriously; his question had been serious so the answer had to be as well.

"I'm sure the ministry did check them thoroughly," she replied. Actually, she had no idea. But they probably had. "They made sure that everything was up to standard to ensure your safety." Hopefully that made him feel better. She didn't want anyone to have to worry about not being safe while at the camp.

Oh, a lady instructor! Davie's blue eyes widened a little under the frame of his glasses. She was pretty and much nicer than the man who beat people with cannons. He nodded seriously at her question, since she seemed more reassuring for some reason, than the other little girl, and murmured a soft, "Thank you," for answering his question.

Now he really had no excuse NOT to try sitting on a broom. With a small sigh to himself, the ten-year-old pulled the broomstick in closer to him and flung a leg over the handle. He leaned his bum back and was surprised to find a cushioning charm on the seat. Oh. This wasn't so bad. But now--- now--- now they had to leave the ground?!!

MerlinMerlinMerlin why. What if he fell? He didn't see any matts for people to fall onto! What if his glasses fell off his nose and he couldn't swoop down to get them?! Davie closed his eyes and gave the ground a small push away, like he was kicking off a Muggle bicycle. He'd only ridden a bicycle once though and had never ridden a broom before... and now, now he was hovering. HOVERING. OFF THE GROUND. LIKE A PRO!!!!!!!

Davie couldn't stop the small but proud smile that graced his lips. HOVERING LIKE A PRO OVER HERE. EVERYBODY LOOK. Only not. Because what if he fell when all their eyes landed on him? Best to just keep to a small, safe hover.

He... heard his name.

And squealing.

Gulp.

To say that the boy man was used to having fangirls was a lie. It still surprised him that there were people, complete strangers at that, that admired him and looked up to him. A sheepish expression crossed his face as the Seeker turned to look at...

... a girl. Ava Burton. "Hey Ava! It's great to meet you!" he said, giving her a two finger salute. She was a fan. She was a big fan! The puppy!man would practically be jumping up and down in joy but, instead, he simply grinned widely. "A big fan? That's really sweet, you know. I hope I can make you proud, Ava my big fan." Could he give her a hug afterwards or was that not allowed?



There was another fan, a quieter one this time. And one he didn't really notice until the first fan was done talking. Was he... was the kid sad? Was that why his shoulders were slumped? Surely he'd be excited about flying, yeah?

Smiling warmly, Alec waved back at the young kid before saying, "Hey! You have really great hair, you know." It flipped over his head nicely and there was something about the way it looked messy but nice that made him like it so much.

... What? Hair was an obsession.



Oh look! Another... fan? Yes? No? Either way, it was someone he was going to be instructing today so the boy got a grin from the twenty one year old.

Teddy. "Hey Teddy! That's a really great name, you know." Nodnod. We're him and Ava good friends? That was sweet. Stick close together, yeah?



It was hard to keep up a friendly face when the game was so intense that personal feelings were bound to get in the way. Meaning that, it was hard to be in a competition with someone and want to be friends with them at the same time. Alec half expected to be hated by some of the players on the other teams which...

... yeah.

Moving on, he still smiled and was very relieved when Giles talked to him. "I bet! The first time flying is always a memorable one." For good reasons. No accidents please, okay?

And then came Carter Phillips. Carter, the guy he had been very scared of when he was younger. Carter, the guy he hadn't seen in a very very long time -- since his wedding, was it? Carter, Anya's older brother.

Alec gulped.

But he was offering a fistbump? Erm...? Alec grinned in relief before fistbumping the older guy back. Not scared, nope.

Isobel was another player he hardly knew but he'd remembered seeing her name in the Hufflepuff list of former Captains. The former Head Boy smiled back at her an offered her a, "Hey!" See? This was nice.



Why... was that kid wearing a helmet? Erm...?

BLINK.

Alec exchanged a look with one of his fellow professional players before looking back at the young boy. See, he knew what was special about the brooms but maybe the kids didn't so... that explained the helmet? He didn't think any of them would let something happen to the kids, right? Alec certainly wouldn't.

Still. Smiles for you, Helmet Kid (Lancelot). And for one of the girls (Alice) who'd been there already.

Some more kids started arriving, with some looking... nervous, was it? (David) And others looking fairly miserable (Wylie) from what he could tell. Yeah... Alec hadn't expected this.

Just like he hadn't expected that cry of pain.

Eyes wide, the former Hufflepuff moved forwards to help the girl (Xander) but... someone else (Torie) was there already. Okay, act cool, Summers, act cool. And BREATHE. And smile warmly at all the kids because they must be nervous. Nodnod.

One girl (Suri) got a particularly wide smile, because of the way she was helping another kid. Yeah, he noticed and approved very much. Well done, kiddo.



And it was time to fly!!!! And they were...

... not off.

Oh, how this reminded him of his first time flying. He let the others give instructions since they sounded more confident on the matter and were able to say it without stuttering or pausing a lot. Though, he did turn to Isobel and said, "I'll stay on the ground and help out with the little players." Nodnod. It was only right. And he didn't think he could fly knowing that someone was having trouble.

So... he turned to the others. The younger people. "Is anyone having trouble kicking off of the ground?" Or were they just nervous and no one wanted to go first?

Torie watched the others down below and smirked when he didn't seem to be noticed by any of the quidditch peoples. He smirked Jay's way, "They're not even paying attention, I don't think mum will know if I don't get caught." HEH! "Race you!" He said before he took off on his broomstick without warning towards the course, still glancing down at the others to see if anyone noticed where he was heading. AND hoping Jay would at least follow. They were too busy trying to get the new flyers on the broomsticks...right?

Text Cut: HOLYHEAD HARPIES

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Isobel kept moving around, trying to keep an eye on all the kids in case they needed help. Of course, there were other quidditch players there to help them but she was prepared as well. As she was walking she felt something gently brush against her arm. What was that? She looked down, but there was nothing there. Isobel turned slightly, but all she saw was the group of kids. What? One of the girls was already mounted, and looked confident about her abilities. And she was trying to help the others. Isobel smiled at her before turning to another boy who was asking a question.

"If you're ready on your brooms, you can try and fly now. Just kick up off the ground and hover a few feet in the air for now." For some of them, that would be difficult enough and might take a few tries. The ones who had an easy time would just have to be patient and wait until they were ready to actually start flying around. Isobel looked to her fellow quidditch players. "If some of them still need help getting on their brooms, a couple of us can stay and help them. The rest of us should fly around with the kids to help them." They had all probably come to the same conclusion already, but saying it out loud helped her feel organized. Isobel had her broom and was eager to fly with the kids, but that was not necessary yet as so far they were all still on the ground and when they did fly they would only be a few feet off the ground at the moment.

*GASP*


*_*


ISOBEL VONHUE HAD JUST SMILED AT HER. Suri BEAMED back, showing off all her VERY WHITE TEETH because she brushed twice a day and sometimes after lunch 'cause Mum made her, and WAVED EXCITEDLY despite the fact that Isobehl Vonhue had already turned back around. Oh well. MANIC WAVING. YES. SO MUCH WAVING SHE FORGOT TO LISTEN and therefore didn't realise it was time to kick off.

Text Cut: Wylie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destiny

WAIT.

A.

MINUTE.

Is was time to fly? Already!? This Quidditch Pro lady, whose name he did not know because he did not follow Quidditch because it was the most dangerous thing a person could do and why would he want to follow that, was telling them to kick off the ground? Sure, Wylie already KNEW he was sitting on the broom the proper way, he didn't need to follow the sport to know THAT, but wasn't she going to check?

JUST TO MAKE SURE?

He wasn't even convinced that those brooms were SAFE to even FLY. He eyed the thing carefully, all while PURPOSELY ignoring LANCELOT, who was calling his name. Wylie had seen him. Wylie had made sure he was nowhere near him. Wylie wanted to knock that toilet paper helmet right off his head.

And then place it on his own head, to keep himself safe.

Help, though? DID he need help? Why, yes. Yes he did. Wylie unmounted his broom and shuffled just a liiiiiiittle bit closer to the girl who was so KINDLY offering him her help. WAS SHE EVEN LOOKING AT HIM!? Even if she wasn't, he was handing his broom to HER. "See if this is safe for me!" And if it was, then he would MAYBE do all that stuff the Quidditch Pro lady was saying.

After quite a while, Suri realised she should probably stop waving, and instead turned to the boy she was helping. Because she was just the NICEST.

UM.

What.

Suri looked at the boy, and then at the broom, and then back at the boy and frowned. "That's not helping you, that's DYING for you and I never said I'd do that!" Psht. Did she look DUMB? "And just so you know," cue snotty voice, "I have the prooooper kids broom and not that," she gestured at the broom he was holding out, "BABY TRAINING broom. If you want help with flying into the air, I can help you but I'm NOT going flying your broom."

And that was that, Mr. Weirdopants.

Text Cut: QUIDDITCH STAR

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone

Text Cut: Lancelot, Alice, David, Wylie, Xandra, Torie, Suri, a lot of events basically

things and stuff

Why... was that kid wearing a helmet? Erm...?

BLINK.

Alec exchanged a look with one of his fellow professional players before looking back at the young boy. See, he knew what was special about the brooms but maybe the kids didn't so... that explained the helmet? He didn't think any of them would let something happen to the kids, right? Alec certainly wouldn't.

Still. Smiles for you, Helmet Kid (Lancelot). And for one of the girls (Alice) who'd been there already.

Some more kids started arriving, with some looking... nervous, was it? (David) And others looking fairly miserable (Wylie) from what he could tell. Yeah... Alec hadn't expected this.

Just like he hadn't expected that cry of pain.

Eyes wide, the former Hufflepuff moved forwards to help the girl (Xander) but... someone else (Torie) was there already. Okay, act cool, Summers, act cool. And BREATHE. And smile warmly at all the kids because they must be nervous. Nodnod.

One girl (Suri) got a particularly wide smile, because of the way she was helping another kid. Yeah, he noticed and approved very much. Well done, kiddo.



And it was time to fly!!!! And they were...

... not off.

Oh, how this reminded him of his first time flying. He let the others give instructions since they sounded more confident on the matter and were able to say it without stuttering or pausing a lot. Though, he did turn to Isobel and said, "I'll stay on the ground and help out with the little players." Nodnod. It was only right. And he didn't think he could fly knowing that someone was having trouble.

So... he turned to the others. The younger people. "Is anyone having trouble kicking off of the ground?" Or were they just nervous and no one wanted to go first?

Suri had turned around to ask if they could fly now - you know, so that she could get away from this strange boy next to her who wanted her to FLY HIS BROOM - when she noticed A QUIDDITCH STAR looking at her.

OH OH.

OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. MORE SMILES.

CUE MORE BEAMS FROM HER. BEAMBEAMBEAM. Suri grinned so wide her cheeks HURT and she waved at FAMOUS QUIDDITCH STAR ALEC SUMMERS the same manic waving she had at Isobel Vonhue, but got SO excited she dropped her broom to wave at him with TWO HANDS and then she completely lost her head and BLEW HIM A KISS.

WHA. _D:

Promptly realising what she'd done and blushing furiously, Suri hurriedly dropping down to the ground to hide her face in shame and pick up the fallen broom. Mounting it again, she AVOIDED ALEC SUMMERS' EYES LIKE THE BLACK PLAGUE and kicked off from the ground, wobbling a bit but straightening herself before she fell. Because she could fly. She should be in the other group.

NO ONE LOOK AT HER PLEASE.

Picking up her broom again, Xandra pushed back her braids and listened intently as the quidditch pro woman tried to help her out. It was easy to listen. Doing it and succeeding to push off without falling off again was another story. Flashing the woman a nervous yet determined smile Xandra mumbled. “Thank you for the tips Miss? I shall give it another go.” It was a little reassuring to know that brooms weren’t programmed to knock her off. If it had been then she’d have asked to ride with someone on a broom first. Torie wouldn’t have minded much even if Xandra then would have had to endure constant teasing in the air. Maybe it’d have been worth it?

Trying to remember what the woman had said Xandra gently placed the broom in her left hand and swung her right leg over the handle. Easing off the ground gently, wobbling a little she hovered a few feet over the ground watching how Torie soared upwards on his broom, Jay coming out of nowhere and following his brother. Shaking her head she called in their direction. "You guys are nuts." Seriously, did they want to get into trouble?

Holding onto the broom with both her hands Xandra wondered what she was supposed to do now. Just hover? Remembering something they hadn't told them she called down to whichever quidditch person was closest. "If I want to land how do I do that safely without bruising myself?"

So.many.things.happening.at.once.

Jace kept quiet as he observed the other kids. He was sort of, jealous because they can get off the field right away and make friends. Interaction isn’t really his thing, but it’s definitely something that he simply must do. He didn’t want to be branded as a snob kid. He wanted to be the cool one. Jace’s head turned towards Ava and grinned at her. Were magical kids more polite than muggle ones? There was not a single kid back at Chillingham Prep who bothered to ask where he came from. Sad but true. “I was born in Japan. I...lived there until I turned seven.” Nod nod. The nine year old smiled as he watched Ava comfort her twin, Teddy. He could only wish that his older brother Jake would be as encouraging as Ava.




His attention got diverted when THE Alec Summers called out to him. Nice...hair? Jace subconsciously touched his hair a bit confused. His hair has been like that for years, and nobody complimented him. Wait...did he...uh...translated his English right though? He clearly said...hair...and nice...so yeah, maybe he does have nice hair. A small grin was seen on his face as Jace bounced a little. How many famous people can you get to give you a complement, eh? “Nice to meet you, Summers-san. I’m Jace.” He said as he politely bowed at the tall person. “You have nice hair too!” Truth, Alec-san.

His attention then got diverted when another instruction was given. After mounting the broom, they should kick the ground so they could hover. Kick? Kick the ground? He can do that. He’s been playing Kendo all his life, and stomping on the dojo floor was a basic, but essential move to score a point.

What can go wrong?

Everything apparently.

---

Jace held his position, holding the broom’s handle like a shinai, and kicked the ground hard like how he’d stomp on the dojo floor to deliver a hit. He quickly shot up in the air losing his balance in the process, and forgot that he should wrap his legs around the broom, causing him to dangle upside down from the broom’s handle. It’s a good thing however that they were using training brooms because the thing can’t go that high, still, he was dangling...and was at least a meter and a half from the ground.

Feeling all the blood rush down to his head, Jace looked helplessly at the pros. “Help?” he squeaked in Japanese. Anyone?

And nope, not going to cry.

Giles smiled as the kids started mounting their brooms. They were just so cute, well most of them. He did eye a few that of course thought they knew a little more. “That looks great Jace. You are doing a great job!” Looking to the other child he grinned, “Well Lance..lot I’d love one if you are up for making one.” It was adorable of the kid and he was all about the fun of kids creativity. He had worn princess crowns for Grabby, so a TP helmet, why not.

He watched as the others mounted or tried to at least, was that girl (Xandra) okay? She seemed to be fine though he noticed someone was helping her. His eyes moved to another little girl as she heard her helping someone, “I think he’s got it, why don’t you get on your own broom so we can get in the air.” Oh but then the boy was handing her his broom, “Well nice job helping.” He gave both kids (Suri, Wylie) nods. Seeing David’s question being answered the 27 year old raised a brow at how he was so suspicious. Maybe family were in something that needed the extra security.

Watching Alice he smiled, “Well that was very good Alice. Now go ahead and get on your broom and we’ll get started.” She was certainly a cutie, wasn’t she? Looking from Ava to the brooms he chuckled, “I think this one will fit you perfectly.” He pointed towards the left side. As she picked one close to what he picked Giles shook his head. “Prefect, see you are a natural at this broom stuff.” With a little wink he turned his attention on his fellow instructor as she got them in the air.

Giles watched as one boy (Torie) went into the air. Hmmm, he knew that this age group was supposed to have height limits on their brooms and what parent would just give a broom to their child without one, especially for a day like today. “Hey buddy, why don’t you come back to us please. We are going to fly around a bit and then have some fun with a quaffle and a flying course.” Then another was up with him and he just shook his head, “Great job guys, but again please lower your brooms, the brooms should be set for the height we need for the course and I know you will want to do this obstacle course.” They wouldn’t want to miss out now would they?

Hearing Alec, Giles nodded, “Sounds good, I’ll go up with the ones that are flying more.” He went to take off, but then caught something out of his ear, turning towards (Suri) he smiled, “These are not baby brooms. They are set, just like your families have been asked to set your brooms to a certain height so we can teach you not only flying, but a Quidditch. I don’t think your parents would want you trying to throw a quaffle and falling from high up. So please don’t discourage others by calling brooms baby brooms when clearly they are not.”

That’s when he saw it and he took a deep breath and got up in the air, “Hold it right there. I just asked you to come down and now you are trying to leave. You need to come be with the rest of the group to learn so we can do the obstacle course. If you can’t listen, I’m sure your parents would be thrilled to come and take you home.”

His eyes turned on Jace as he saw him hanging upside down. “Hold on buddy I’m coming.” Giving looks to the two higher up boys he flew down towards Jace and grabbed his broom and the boy. Gently helping him get up right on the broom stick again.

Okay but CHAR was here... honest!

Except she didn't want to go on brooms except maybe a little bit because Davie was? but she DID want to be a MASCOT. That was what she wanted. SO she was being one. She didn't have a costume but she was being one anyway!

JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON THE 'SIDELINES'!

STOMPING LIKE AN ANIMAL RAWR RAAARR GRRRRRR!

This girl was enthusiastic. It was nice, actually. It meant that she was happy, yeah? Which Alec liked a lot. Nodnod. He even grinned and waved back at her enthusiastically but... kind of coolly? Well, you know, he wasn't a cool guy but he could try, yeah? Yeah. Absolu--

Well then.

A kiss? A sheepish expression crossed the twenty one year old's face at that. Merlin, he'd faced worse with the fans but it was still unexpected. What was he meant to do now? Erm...? The former Hufflepuff opted for the first thing that came to his head and made a motion that, he hoped, looked like he was catching the kiss. Had she seen that while she was busy...

... hiding? Or just getting her broom? The puppy!man didn't know.

"Hey, Miss? You okay?" She wasn't having trouble flying, from what he could tell, but he still wanted to make sure.



... Oh? Did someone want to land already? Wasn't flying the best thing ever or... was that just him?

Since Giles seemed busy, Alec opted to answer her question and hoped it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "If you want to land, just tilt the nose of your broom, which is this end bit opposite the twigs," He tapped the nose of his own broom in his hand. "Tilt that towards the ground. Just a small tilt, nothing extreme, yeah? You'll feel yourself descending and just slowly touch down on the ground with your feet. It might take a bit of practice but you'll get there." Smile and thumbs up for you, girl.



Had... he said something wrong? Maybe he was used to hanging out with hair obsessed people a lot so making hair comments came naturally to him and, in fact, he was sure it was normal behaviour. It was, right?

But the sight of the grin was enough to let the former Head Boy let out a sigh of relief. "Nice to meet you too, Jace. Call me Alec, yeah?" This wasn't a professional situation, after all. And Summers sounded very formal. It was Alec's turn to grin when he got a hair compliment in return. "Thanks! I try to keep it looking good."

... Maybe the kid didn't need to know that.

... ... And was that other kid (Char) stomping around? Erm...? "Hey... Miss? Don't you want to join in on the flying?"

"Mum knows everything." Jay whispered to him and then blinked. No, no racing here. Mum had said to be good. The instructor's words made James just stare now though. Heh, fun going around the flying course? It looked about as interesting as a field. Booooring. Jay let out a long, loud siiiiiiiiigh and then lowered his broom and sat on it with his arms crossed, looking grumpy. "Mum would laugh in your face." he muttered to himself. "We do way more stuff at home." Humpf.

He started waving at Torie now and just did his big brother duty. "HEY! MUM SAID NO!" Oh Merlin. James just shook his head and looked down at Xandra. "I'm not nuts. I just play quidditch LOADS." heh. "I'm really good." Smiiiiirk. "Torie's the one who's nuts. Anyway, my mum and dad are really good on brooms and can play really well and they taught me and Torie and we're so good at this and I don't know why we're having to fly at the same height my baby sister does." UGH.

DID she?

That depended!

"Do mascots fly? I'm a mascot!" Charlotte explained. Couldn't he TELL from her mascot MOVES? She shimmied in illustration, expression entirely serious, if a little gappy.

Very carefully Xandra manoeuvred her broom around with slow motions as one of the quidditch pros decided to answer her question. Nodding she beamed down at him. “Thanks, I don’t want to land right away I just want to know how to land for when I do want to land so I don’t panic.” And given her clumsiness it could turn bad if she panicked.

Catching Jamesäs eye Xandra rolled her eyes and scoffed impatiently up at him. "The instructors donät know what level of flying experience everyone has so they start with the basic stuff first to give everyone a fair chance to learn and get comfortable on a broom like me. I haven't flied much because my mum hasn't let me, remember?"

He had been there early with his kid and all. He had made sure Cornelius would stay put and not wander toward the older kids. He made sure Cornelius had not taken Peyton's bat this time, and he had made sure his wife (who was at the stands) was as comfortable as she possibly could be.

Xavier Baltazar had made sure things were running smoothly. But then the love of his life made a face of discomfort and Xavier was on his way to her and at her side within seconds. His lovely seven-month pregnant wife HAD to be comfortable at ALL times. After casting charms and making sure she was 100% comfortable, the Falmouth Falcons owner returned to the pitch.

He quickly eyed the B group. HAH. His boy was all googly-eyed at the Skylar woman--wait, no. That was the look the boy got when he fell in love with a bat. What a relief! Xavier was not looking forward to the days his son's eyes would wander from bats to girls. No Merlin, haha!

Walking down the pitch the man took a step back when he heard something interesting. "Mascots DO indeed fly!" He beamed at the girl, then at the Summers fellow, then back at the girl. "They have to know their moves by memory, though. Think you have that?" No promises were being made here.

HOVERING. Davie was HOVERING. He didn't care that certain know-it-alls were zipping by, past, and over his head. He didn't even care that his bestie was currently NOT flying, and was instead cheerleading. ALL HE CARED ABOUT was his personal, proud progress.

Keeping his cheeky grin in check, Davie focused all his energy on pointing his broom toward said bestie. Char ran into him literally all the time, so why not run into her now? Hehe. She'd totally not mind. Now, what was the incantation to make a broom zoom?

"Goooooo," he tried, leaning forward with his head and neck and whole body, aiming the broom straight for Charlotte Kettleburn. Naturally, it responded with a very enthusiastic, but still low-to-the-ground, WHOOOOOOOOOSH! straight for her... and possibly the tall man standing nearby.