Flying around

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi walked onto the pitch and mounted her Sierra Storm. She was waiting for Taylor to join her, but Cyndi was impatient to get into the air. She hoped Taylor wouldn't be upset at her as she pushed off and began a lap around the pitch. The feel of the wind in her hair was a feeling that Cyndi had certainly missed.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor retrieved a good broom from the shed and stepped onto the pitch. Looking up Taylor noticed Cyndi already in the air. Taylor mounted her own broom and kicked off the ground, flying up as high as she liked. Something she wasnt able to do in classes. It felt amazing. She had never been flying apart from classes and it was something she wondered why she hadnt done sooner. She stopped when she was quite high and glanced around for Cyndi.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi noticed that Taylor had entered the pitch. She turned around to her and sped to the ground stopping to pick something up by the bench. After, Cyndi flew toward Taylor and showed her what she had in her hand. It was a volleyball. "Do you want to practice trying to get this through the hoop?" Cyndi asked.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor wondered what Cyndi had picked up, but when she flew closer Taylor noted a volley ball. Taylor thought over Cyndi's question, wondering how well she might fly with a different objective than catching a snitch. Her hand eye cordination wasnt that bad, so why not? "Sure." She said with a smile, raising one hand off her broom and placing it by her side.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"Cool" Cyndi said as she tossed the volleyball to Taylor. She figured that they could both practice, Taylor her speed and Cyndi deflecting the ball. She had briefly thought about getting an actual snitch or bludger, but thought against it after thinking about the havoc that could be caused with the bludger and the difficulty in catching the snitch when they wanted to leave. She also thought the practice could help Taylor if she chose chaser as her secondary position.

"Ok...I'll try to guard the goal. Don't worry I stink at playing keeper so it should be easy to get it through...then we can switch or do something else if you want." Cyndi said, hoping she wasn't being too bossy. She got ready to turn and head for the goal.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Catching the volleyball alot steadier than she thought she would, all worries that she might fail left her, exept a small motherly voice telling her to be careful and not make a fool of herself. Taylor nodded eagerly. "Sounds good." She grinned. She tucked it under her arm and did a small circle, getting the feel of holding it. When Cyndi was in place she tilted her broom up and towards the goals. Heading back down so she was level she threw it for the first time, it was a pretty good shot actually heading straight for the goals. Now it was all whether Cyndi would block it or not.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi flew into place and waited for Taylor. Before she was quite ready, Taylor was already heading toward her and the goal. She took a shot, which arced toward the goal furthest from her. Cyndi tried to move herself in that direction but failed and watched as the volleyball sailed through the goal and toward the ground. Cyndi pointed her broom toward the goal,flew through it and down to retrieve the volleyball. She reached it before it hit the ground.

As she went back up, Cyndi sighed and then laughed, passing the ball back to Taylor. "I told you I was pretty bad...it's why I became a beater" Cyndi said, "but I'll be ready this time." Cyndi flew back to the goal and waited, readying herself for Taylor's next attempt.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor was quite surprised when the volleyball sailed through the hoop. She watched as Cyndi retrieved it and still mantained a stunned look. "Im actually pretty surprised i managed to get that through." She laughed as she caught the ball back off Cyndi as she threw it. Waiting for a bit, so Cyndi could be absolutly ready she flew to her left and when coming back right she threw the ball with not as much aim as last time, it still looked as though it would go through though.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched as Taylor first feinted left and then went right and threw the ball. Although she wasn't a good keeper, Cyndi could read movement very well, and what Taylor did reminded Cyndi of how the bludger moved. When the ball began to sail toward her, she was ready for it and caught it easily before it reached the goal.

"Good job" Cyndi said, "but try to do it more quickly because then whoever's keeper will have less time to prepare. Do you want to try keeping?" Cyndi said as she threw the ball back to Taylor.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Cyndi caught the ball Taylor smiled at her, a silent praise for a good catch. Taylor took in the information being presented to her and nodded when Cyndi was done. She knew what she was doing and Taylor hadnt played properly before, so if she did decide to take a position in Quidditch she would have an idea. "Ill have a few more goes, then maybe you could try?" She suggested, catching the volleyball and planning out her next move so it could be a little faster.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"OK" Cyndi said with a nod. Even though this wasn't her usual position, she was getting into it. Watching Taylor was helping her to see how others moved on the field.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

She made a quick move forward, skimming a little to the right to confuse Cyndi, but pulled left at the last minute and threw the ball towards the left hoop. The movement almost threw Taylor off her broom, not used to paying Quidditch, but she managed to save herself. She couldnt get over the feel of being in the air, it was fantastic.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched Taylor's movement and happily noticed that the girl was a fast learner. She wasn't hesitating anymore and was making Cyndi's job a lot harder. Cyndi followed her movement to the right, and watched as the girl pulled left. As she threw toward the hoop, Cyndi moved to the side and reached her hand out to catch the ball.

As Cyndi was about to catch the ball, she noticed Taylor slide a little off her broom and it was enough to make Cyndi lose her concentration. Cyndi eyes were on Taylor as the ball hit her fingertips, ricocheted off and hit the ring of the hoop but didn't go in.

"Are you ok?" Cyndi nervously asked Taylor. In her excitement to play Quidditch, Cyndi forgot that Taylor was just a first year and was still learning how to fly. She didn't want Taylor to get hurt.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor grinned when Cydni asked if she was ok and shook her hand waving the situation off. "Im fine, still learning." She was still smiling, "Im clumsy, but ill never seriously hurt myself." She flew down to go get the ball, somewhat glad that Cyndi had payed attention and cared for her safety. If Taylor had fell, her mother would never let Taylor play quidditch again, but Taylor always went horse riding back in Australia and found that with horses, who had minds of their own, riding a broom was somewhat easier to save yourself if you were put into a bad situation, but you had a longer way to fall.

Retrieving the ball, Taylor flew back up held it out. "Did you want a go?" She asked with a grin, Taylor was fine either way, as long as she was in the air, she was fine.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi was glad to hear that Taylor was ok. Even though they had just met, Cyndi was growing fond of the girl. In fact, Cyndi thought she reminded her a little of what she was like at that age.

When Taylor asked if she wanted a go, Cyndi nodded and smiled. "thought you'd never ask" she said as she moved away from the goals and waited for Taylor to throw the ball back to her.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor nodded and threw the ball to Cyndi and took her place by the goal. She wasnt sure how she would do, but hopefully not too bad. Taylor wondered when she would be able to actually play Quidditch for her house team. She couldnt wait. Now that she had tried a few other positions she wasnt sure what position she would actually want to play.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi caught the ball, and began to fly left, holding the ball lightly in her right hand. She turned quickly and flew right, releasing the ball as she did, hoping it would make it through the middle goal.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor was ready for the ball, but when it sailed towards the goal, she was unsure whether she would be able to stop it. Reaching out she flew in the direction with a jolt and managed to knock the ball roughly with her fingers. She couldnt catch it, but she at least stopped it. She flew down and grabbed it quickly before it hit the ground. She returned to Cyndi and threw the ball back. Pretty dodgy save, but it was only her first try.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched as Taylor managed to hit the ball away. She didn't quite catch it, but in a game of quidditch the results would have been just as good. Cyndi was completely impressed, especially since she had thrown the ball as hard as she could.

"Great job!" Cyndi enthusiastically stated as she caught the ball Taylor threw back at her. "A little more and you would have completely stopped that ball."

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor laughed and shook her hand, where her fingers were a bit sore. "Thanks." Taylor said with a small blush. She balanced on her broom and stretched her fingers. "Probably would have been more clever to try and catch it though." She said with a laugh, examining her fingers. They were fine, just a little sore, nothing that wouldnt go away in no time. She had just hit the ball at an awkward angle.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi noticed Taylor stretching out her fingers, and shook her head sympathetically. "Boy, do I know how that feels... Now, you're a seasoned quidditch player" she joked.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor chuckled. "Yeah." She shook her hand one last time and then clutched her broom, reading for the next throw. "I wont make the same mistake again." She said with determination, but then she drew back. "Hopefully." She laughed, she often made the same mistakes several times before they clicked in her mind.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded as Taylor vowed to not make the same mistake again. She made sure she had a good hold on the ball and then began a long arc from the goal area, starting at the left and heading toward the right. Suddenly, she cut off the arc and turning straight toward the goal, Cyndi threw the volleyball. Unfortunately, the ball slipped out of her hand slightly as she threw it, so it wasn't going too fast. She waited to see if Taylor would make the grab.

 

[Taylor Mercer]

Taylor watched as Cyndi began to move, obviously quite practised in her flying abilities. She went to throw the ball and it wasnt as fast as it had been the previous time. Taylor moved her broom so she was underneath the ball and reached out to catch it firmly in her arms. Smiling she looked back up and Cyndi. She was quite please she had managed that. Flying back up so she was level with Cyndi again, she held the ball out, in question for whether Cyndi wanted to try shoot again, defend the hoop, or if she wanted to call it a day.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi was quite happy to see Taylor catch the ball. Even though it had been slower than the first one she had thrown, it had been a tricky one to catch, and Taylor did it with ease. Cyndi smiled as Taylor held the ball out for her. "Maybe we should call it a day, Taylor" Cyndi said, "I should probably go do some homework."