Open Making a splash

[Keanu Corvus]

Keanu had been working hard at Le Trois Dragons for a number of months, years even. Between him and his dad they ran the pub like a well oiled cog in the consumer industry, but the former Gryffindor was still able to have days off. Today he’d decided to go into the forests. He could walk for miles and after parking up in a quiet spot, Keanu had walked a few miles through the trees. He’d come here as a child with his parents, but that was many years ago and not something he could ever see happening now. ​

​

After a short way, he came across a clearing that opened out, the sound of water trickling was the only thing he could hear. Throwing down his backpack and removing his shirt, socks and shoes, Keanu spent a few seconds admiring his surroundings. It seemed so empty compared to the hustle and bustle of a city life. Taking a deep breath, and recalling his actions as a ten year old, he began running at high speed towards to sound of the water, jumping off the edge and finding himself falling through the air. He fell for what felt like a life time, before eventually he made contact with the freezing cold water. Suddenly his body was emerged in the lake and he turned weightless, drifting through the refreshing water until he had to pop up for air. It was even more fun than he remembered.​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla loved to travel and she loved camping even more. It wasn't so much the thrill of adventure that excited her, but rather the calming feeling of being nature. Nothing was more relaxing and with so much pressure going on in her life, it felt nice to get away for a little bit.

After hiking ways into the forest, she came across a lake. Lyla closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the peaceful surrounding. A splash made her eyes jolt open with surprise. She looked around to spot a shirtless man popping up from the lake. He must have jumped in.

Shifting her backpack from her shoulders to a nearby rock, she put her hand over her brow so she could see better in the sunlight. Lyla smiled and pulled her water bottle from her backpack. "Nice jump." She shouted to the guy, taking a sip from her water bottle.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

Keanu has broken through the water, flicking his hair out of his eyes as he rose up, glancing around when he heard a voice. He had thought he was alone here, but it was a public place of course and so he should have known better than to think there wouldn’t be anyone passing by. He smiled towards the woman, unable to touch the floor so treading water, a small wave with one hand. “Thanks. You know, you should try it some time. Makes great relief from walking.” He had experience in that department and it was very refreshing to take a swim mid walk. Keanu swam a short distance across to some rocks, where he was able to pull himself up half way and lean on his arms, torso emerged from the lake. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you.” He hoped he wasn’t being too forward, then again she was the one to start speaking to him.​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla gave a chuckle and reached into her bag for her camera. "I'll have to consider it." She loaded film into the magical camera. "Seems a little dangerous though? Isn't it?" Her focus was not on him, but on a tree branch above her. She placed an eye on the camera viewfinder and focused her camera onto a bird above her.

Lyla pressed the shutter and lowered the camera. She turned back towards him. "No worries, I was just surprised." Tucking her camera back in the bag, she zipped it up tight. "Are you going to jump again?"

 

[Keanu Corvus]

For a moment Keanu was convinced she was about to take a picture of him, but just before he said anything she turned direction to somewhere up above him instead. “Dangerous? Well that’s what makes it fun!” He replied, lifting himself fully out the water, trying not to make too much of a mess in doing so. He grinned when she said she was surprised, though he had be too that she was even here. “I will if you will?” He asked with a cheeky grin, before putting both hands on his hips. “Keanu Corvus by the way, just to break the tension here,” he added, hoping that he’d make a friend rather than an enemy by being so forward.​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla raised her eyebrows and bit the tip of her water bottle. "Maybe.." She grinned, considering the jump. What did she have to lose? Walking towards the man soaked in water, she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Keanu Corvus the dangerous." She said with a laugh. "My name is Lyla."

Lyla reached into her shorts pocket and emptied them into her bag. She took her hair down from its ponytail and used the holder to tie her shirt tighter to her body. "What do I do?" She was feeling particularly adventurous today and thought it would make it fun. Besides, the water would help cool her down from the hike.

 

[Keeva Fitzgerald]

Keeva had been told a week or so ago that Keanu would not be busy shortly - however as luck would have it once again Keeva was meant to have her hands tied. However one thing led to another and with plans cancelled the brunette knew exactly what she was going to do to unwind. Having been with Keanu three years it was now apparent where the Corvus would spend such a lovely day - and the brunette woman headed to just the right lake. As she got closer the voices in the distance made it apparent she wouldn't be alone, but it never bothered the professional quidditch player much. After all, she dealt with paparazzi and fans like a pro - so a few of Keanu's friends or family would be handled with grace. Upon emerging through the brush she spotted an unfamiliar girl and overheard bits of the conversation. "If my chicken boyfriend won't jump again I will." The irish woman laughed before merging the clearing. "Family or friend." Keeva asked, after all there was no reason to be jealous - she was much too old for that wasted energy. She spotted that it looked as if the girl was about to jump. "Gonna let two girls out man you?" She asked teasingly.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

Keanu literally “whooped” when Lyla adjusted herself in preparation to jump. Clearly he had good ways of convincing people to take risks although whether that was a good or bad thing he wasn’t sure. “Very nice to meet you Lyla, come on I’ll show you,” Keanu had just passed the newcomer, and was about to take her arm to take her back to the top of the cliff when he heard another voice behind them. He did a good job of showing his shock as he heard himself being referred to a boyfriend, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He turned to smile at Keeva. Sure, the pair had been seeing one another on and off during the last few years when they had time, but it wasn’t as though they were an official couple, were they? He hadn’t really considered it more than a fling, but not wanting to hurt Keevas feelings, he played off her comments in front of Lyla. “I didn’t know you’d be here,” he jogged over to the brunette, closing the gap between them quickly and lifting her up in a huge hug. It had been a few weeks since he’d spent time with the quidditch player and he was pleased to see her even if he were taken aback. “You know Keeves, you’ll have to actually get to the top first if you want to beat us,” he added, returning to the waters edge and throwing her into the lake, hopefully before she could retaliate. He was no chicken.​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla was taken aback by the new voice and turned towards a girl similar in age to her. "Hello, I'm Lyla." She looked back and forth between the apparent couple. Lyla watch as Keanu picked the girl, who he referred to as Keeves, to throw her into the lake. She bent down to make sure her hiking boots were still laced tight in preparation to run. Figuring her best bet at this point wasn't to pick a side, every person for themselves. Lyla felt like a teenager all over again and the pressures of reality far from her mind.

 

[Keeva Fitzgerald]

Keeva smiled at the girl and was about to introduce herself when she was swept off her feet. "You're a cheater!" She shrieked, hitting the cold water. The girl pulled herself up. "Nice to meet you, c'mon it's really me versus you because look at him." She laughed before sprinting after the man. Lyla looked familiar but Keeva tried not to think about it until the race was over. Once at the top the brunette had no hesitation and jumped in, waiting for her eyes to clear to see if she had won - though considering she had a late start she was sure she was last into the water. However she'd let the two who most likely beat her raise the verdict of the winner.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

As soon as Keeva hit the water, Keanu was off. Some may have said he was a terrible guy for throwing her without mercy and running away, but he had a competition to win. He bound past Lyla, careful not to knock her over but with an advantage given he’d done the track before, and eventually he reached the peak. He wasted no time in leaping off once more, letting the air clear him of the previous water droplets that remained before he was submerged all over again. He broke free of the surface just in time to receive a further splash to the face, figuring at least he hadn’t come last. He tried to shake his hair out his face, turning his head to check out how the girls were doing. ​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla laughed at the girl's comment, Keanu did seem very fit. She went hiking all the time during her island hoping sailing trips, so she wasn't in too bad of a shape herself. Deciding to leave her bag by the rocks next to the lake, she began to take off in a run after Keanu. "I think I can hold my own!" Lyla laughed determined as ever and followed him to the top of the rocks, ready to jump in.

She looked at him to follow his lead, she was a little nervous but pumped full of adrenaline. Lyla took three careful steps backward and one big breath. Not waiting any longer so she could talk herself out of it, she took off running off the rocks, jumping into the water below her. The cool water rushed over her head and she felt nothing but water all around her. Any voices and sounds were muffled by the water and she enjoyed the calming feeling it gave her. Pushing down with her arms, she kicked her legs vigorously to the surface. "That was awesome." Lyla flipped the wet brown hair out of her face and wiped the water from her eyes. She seemed to come in second as she watched Keeva splash into the lake.

 

[Keeva Fitzgerald]

"Oh good thing we didn't agree I'd be a rotten egg!" Keeva explained once she could look around. "Also a good thing i can swim, eh?" She said, giving a playful glare at Keanu. "Anyways, my meeting with the next team I'm looking at got cancelled. I'm possibly being recruited, but there was some hiccup - doesn't matter much to me." She said before wading over. "Means i get to see you." She said before splashing him with lake water.

Keeva turned her attention to the girl in their company with a friendly smile. "You look awful familiar, are you a quidditch player?" She inquired, wondering if that's where she knew the girl from.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

“I told you!” Keanu grinned, glad that Lyla thought so. He failed to avoid the incoming splash from Keeva though and got another face full of water before he could respond to her schedule. “Hey if you couldn’t swim I would just have to pull you out with my big strong muscles,” he winked. He probably could have but only if she were in water. He wasn’t strong enough usually by any means. “Well I’m glad you decided to show up,” he added, fighting the urge to kiss her. He didn’t want to make it awkward for Lyla who’d joined them. “I didn’t think many people came round here, it’s usually pretty deserted.” Keanu listened as Keeva asked her a question, curious himself about where she’d come from.​

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla laughed at the two's interactions. She was glad the girl could swim or that would've sucked. Taken slightly aback by the question, she wondered if she looked like somebody else or if the girl recognized her from somewhere. "Uhh, no I don't. I actually work at The Medley and at Dervish and Banges as a shop assistant. Perhaps you've seen me there." She wiped some more water from her face and pushed another strand of soaking wet hair from her eyes. "What team are you on?" Lyla focused on the girl, trying to remember if she had seen her on a figurine in the shop, but she was still new.

 

[Keeva Fitzgerald]

Keeva half snorted and half laughed at Keanu. "Muscles okay, pretty sure either of us would wreck you in an arm wrestling match." She said before responding to Lyla. "Oh! Yeah you've probably served me drinks." She replied with a laugh. "I'm part of Pride of Portee. Beater." She said, flexing her arm before going back to treading water. "So how do you know my possibly better half?" She asked, glad that things were going so smoothly. Perhaps it was the constant need to talk to fans, but Keeva's normally rough exterior had melted slowly as she grew up.

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla smiled shyly and nodded. She liked her jobs, but it wasn't exactly fulfilling her passion. It was easier to hide under the guise of working two part-time jobs than to tell her mom she didn't want to be a journalist. "Ah, that's awesome. Congrats." She said to Keeva. "I just happened to stumble upon him here at the lake," Lyla said with a shrug. "I was out for a hike through the forest, taking some pictures. How long have you two been together?" She asked curiously.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

Keanu was half listening as he took a few trips underwater, popping out every now and then to hear the conversation. He still hadn’t told Keeva thst his sister was now on the Portree team, and he wondered whether she’d worked it out by herself. They didn’t exactly look alike, but they shared the same name. Keanu listened as Lyla told them what she did, although he hadn’t been in New Zealand long enough to recognise her from the shops. Peering across the lake at Keeva when they were asked how long they’d been together, he was as interested as Lyla to hear the answer, after all this was news to him.​

 

[Keeva Fitzgerald]

Keeva smiled at the brunette. "You a good photographer?" She inquired, and while it might have sounded harsh she only meant well by it. After all, she wouldn't want to look at a bad photographer's photos and pretend to like them. Keeva looked at Keanu and shrugged. "A while I guess..." She thought for a moment. "We've been bumping into each other for years now." She said with a small giggle. "What about you? Pretty girl like you must be seeing someone?" She inquired, more as a way of wondering why he wasn't here if she was seeing someone.

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla laughed. “I like to think of myself as a good photographer.” She definitely enjoyed it as a hobby, but didn’t plan on winning any awards with them. Lyla let out an awkward laugh. “Nope. I’m not seeing anybody. My last relationship was when I lived in England.” Her ex-girlfriend was alright, but the two agreed they were better off without each other. The breakup was a little messy, but they only talk when they bump into each other in public.

 

[Keanu Corvus]

Perhaps it wasn’t just him that was confused. Judging by Keevas reaction there wasn’t a set time on their relationship beginning so it was strange to consider they might not yet have been official. Keanu listened as the girls spoke, wondering if it was rude to ask her about her own relationship. “You lived in England?” He repeated, hoping to move the topic of conversation to a safer zone. “Can’t say I’ve been there but I used to live in Scotland,” it was still pretty close.

 

[Lyla Edwards]

Lyla wiped her eyes clear of water again as more dripped down from her hair. "England is nice. I can't say I like it better than New Zealand." She would always hold England in her heart, that's where she lived while she went to school, but New Zealand was where she was born and where she was meant to be. "I went to school in Scotland. Perhaps we to the same school?"

 

[Keanu Corvus]

Keanu chuckled at her comment, knowing what she meant. Scotland was nice too but it wasn’t the best place he’d ever been. “Hmm, maybe.” Revealing oneself to a stranger that you were magical didn’t usually go well, so it was always good to approach the topic with caution. “My school used to be set in a castle,” he began. It wasn’t hard to imagine castles in Scotland, so if she were a muggle, he wouldn’t be giving the game away.