| Details for Not Quite Jocunda |
| Summary: | In which pupils meet over Broom Practice and Reading |
| Date: | 1939-01-11 |
| Location: | Hogwart's Playing fields. |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Angus traipses down from the school, carrying his rather old and battered broom. He's dressed for practicality, presumably prior to doing some practice.
Eibhlin isn't exactly paying much attention to the grounds. Taking advantage of the fair weather for a bit of time outdoors she's found a bench on the edge of the lawn to settle herself, nose in a book.
Lucretia arrives a few minutes after Angus, presumably at his invitation to watch him practice. She carries a hot thermos of bovril and a packet of paper-wrapped sandwiches, presumably intending to picnic at some point. Spotting someone already here besides herself and Angus, she heads in Eibhlin's direction and takes a place on the bench near her. "Hello," she greets, her voice low enough not to be horribly distracting as sets her things down between her and the other girl.
Now, practice is a serious thing, and although aware he's playing to an audience, MacMillan Quartus takes it just as seriously as would be hoped. He checks his broom over, with loving touches to the worn wood, and thinning twigs, then straddles the broom, and lifts it effortlessly into the sky. He's also got a beaters club in his hand.
Eibhlin blinks, looking up from her book at the sound of another voice. "Oh, hello," she returns the greeting, offering a smile towards the other girl. Of course with her nose out of the book movement on the lawn catches her attention and she turns a look towards Angus and his broom for a moment before refocusing on Lucretia. "Picnic lunch?" she wonders sending a glance to those items she's set on the bench.
"Bovril and sandwiches," Lucretia confirms, wrapping herself more snugly within the warmth of her cloak. "I love bovril when its so cold, keeps your hands warm." Not that she's pouring any out just yet, the smile returned before eyes flick to Angus where he's just lifted off on his broom. "I'm just here to watch my friend, cheer him on a bit and keep him company. He's the younger of the Macmillan brothers and terribly good at Quidditch. Do you know him?"
He's starting 'slow'. By which he seems to mean 'terribly fast', but not throwing any serious acrobatics, instead, mostly doing rapid darts in each direction, stopping each with a swing of the club at some imaginary bludger, making use of the momentum of the broom to power the arm.
Eibhlin ahs nodding slightly for the girl's confirmation. A shake of her head follows the question of knowing Angus, "No, I don't believe so," she replies. But being that she's often studying and they're different years and houses its not terribly surprising either. "But I do know Douglas?" who being of the same surname may be related.
Lucretia nods to Eibhlin. "Douglas is Angus' older brother," she confirms, breath misting in a thin curl of white from her mouth. "Black. Lucretia Black. Slytherin." Offering up her own name by way of introduction, along with her house which the other girl will probably already have guessed from the scarf wound about her neck, she gives a small cheer for Angus when he makes a particularly daring stunt-turn at the far end of the pitch. "Golly! Did you see that! He's certain to get on the Gryffindor team next season!"
He's speeding up a bit more now, and pulls up… is it going to be a loop? No. He swipes at an imaginary ball 'above' his head, whilst flying inverted at the top of a half loop, and then does a half barrel roll to correct his flight, reversing his direction at a higher altitude. At the opposide end of his circuit, he reverses the manoever, rolling upside down, before doing a half loop, one hand perilously free with his club to swipe at an equally imaginary ball.
"I see," Eibhlin replies, her scarf of blue indicating her house which she confirms when she supplies her own name. "Eibhlin Shine, Ravenclaw," she returns. "Nice to meet you," added before she turns a look towards the boy on the broom and then back to the girl. "He does seem to be doing well…" Not that she knows so much about Quidditch really.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Lucretia asks, indicating the book Eibhlin holds. Another cheer from her is sent in Angus' direction before she gives into temptation and unscrews the cup from the top of her thermos. A little of the hot brew is decanted and she holds it wrapped in the circumference of her hands, letting it warm her palms. There's no recognition of Eibhlin's name in her expression as she takes a cautious sip of her drink, wincing as it scalds her lip.
Angus punches the air a few times. It appears that's a new technique he's been trying out, and is quite pleased with how it's going. And then he's in motion again, straight towards the top section of the stands. Just when it seems impact is inevitable, he leaps his legs from the broom, whilst his hands turn the broom, and takes two steps, horizontally against the vertical wall of the stand, helping the turn, then leaping back astride, albeit in a corkscrew type roll as he rockets back towards you. It's a signature Jocunda Sykes move, although she doesn't do the corkscrew at the end. It's debateable whether it was entirely intended.
Eibhlin shakes her head, "No, I should get my nose out of the pages every once in awhile anyway," she assures with a smile. She turns another look towards the boy at the girl's cheer. "Is that safe?" she asks, clearly its not but students have tired worse things over the years surely.
"He mentioned having private study with Jocunda Sykes," Lu says, squinting a little at the audacious flying. A suck of her lower lip is given and she glances Eibhlin's way. "Last time he did something like that, he hurt his foot. Was limping for days, or would have been had he not got punched on the nose by his brother and wound up in St. Mungos." An almost reflexive duck is given then as Angus swoops past, and she cups a hand around her mouth to shout after his fast disappearing back. "Nice one, Macmillan! Show us more!"
The zoom is turned into a vertical climb, the boy going straight upwards at speed. Then he slows, still vertically going upwards, and as his speed reaches zero, the obvious happens- the broom falls over, so it's pointed straight down. The swing of bat suggests it was intended, but it does still leave him plummetting vertically down in what is rapidly becoming a power dive.
Lucretia jumps to her feet, almost spilling her bovril drink. "ANGUS!" She's perhaps only seen this done a couple of times before, and then only in professional games. Her wand comes out, though what she could possibly do with it isn't too clear. "Merlin's toenails, he's going to DIE!"
At an insane speed, he pulls up, _just_ in time, his hobnails skimming sufficiently close over the girls heads that hair is mussed in the process, and he's going straight back up, to kill the speed after what appears to have been a shoulder barge.
The speed of the dive, the narrowness of the save and boot that nearly hits her head; it all adds up to one thing. "ARRGH!" Lucretia ducks to one side, thankfully the right side and its more the draught of Angus' passing that ruffles her hair than an actual boot tangling within it. Her cup clatters to the ground. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT! YOU WAIT UNTIL I TELL DOUGLAS WHAT YOU DID!!" Chances are, Douglas will give his brother a pat on the back, but its the only thing that springs to the young Black girl's mind for retribution right now.
Eibhlin doesn't jump to her feet at the boy's recklessness, but her blue eyes do watch him closely as the other girl does. That dive comes too close for comfort, causing her to flinch and duck.
Angus floats down to about ten feet, "Wha? Ah missed th' groond bah whit, five feet?". It might now be clearer to Lucretia exactly what he got 'almost' right to injure both his ankles…
Lucretia sits back down again, grumbling loudly at her friend. "You should take a break, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Come have a sandwich and a drink." Retrieving her cup she places it on the bench and refills it from the thermos, eyes flicking up to Eibhlin. "Sorry. He's brilliant, but a little reckless. I wonder if that's the reason he's not made the team yet. They're waiting for him to grow up a little." The end of that sentence is spoken a little louder, enough that it could, and should, carry to Angus' ears.
Eibhlin raises a brow at the other two. "Well I think I'm going to head inside and warm up. You two play nice," she comments with a smile as she collects her book and stands. "Was nice meeting both of you though," she adds before making her way towards the castle.
Angus drifts lower, "Och, I didnae scare ya, did ah? Didnae mean tae!"
"Yes. You scared me. Come and sit down for a bit," Lucretia says, holding out the cup.
Angus swings off his broom, "Aye, sure Lulu. Ah wouldnae mind some of that bovril!"
Lucretia waits until Angus is stable on both feet before handing the cup over. "I would think that the crowds would go wild for that sort of flying," she says eventually, the girl allowing a smile to finally soften her face. "But you didn't half scare me, it was crazy flying. You're going to really hurt yourself sooner or later."
Angus takes it, with a mutter of thanks, and adds to her statement, "Again. Really hurt masel' _again_ sooner or later." He gives a grin, "Miss Sykes tol' me it's all aboot entertainment fur the crood." He takes a little sip, and sighs, "An' it is great fun." And his face falls a bit, "Tho' she tol' me no' tae handle other folks brooms in the ruck."
"You mean, don't touch someone else's broom while flying?" Lu asks, unwrapping the sandwiches and handing one of them to Angus. They're cheese and pickle on slabs of white bread, the butter thick and the filling deep. "I can understand that, you could make someone fall off, or get kicked out of the game for sabotage. Did you try to touch her broom?"
Angus admits, "Used if fur leverage, when Ah needed tae change directions!" He takes it and munches, "It's always the way we played at home."
Lucretia nods, taking a bite of her own sandwich. "I was never much good at Quidditch, so tricks like that were never needed." She gets to her feet. "Okay. I'm going back to the castle now. Do you want me to leave the thermos for you?"