Open The Flying Type

[Aras Ragauskas]

"Alohomora!" To Aras' surprise the lock clicked and the broomshed's door swung open to reveal the school's spare brooms. He pocketed his wand as he entered inside excited, in hopes of finding a decent broom to fly. In the aftermath of his house's try-outs, he had nothing else to look forward for. He lived on anything associated to flying and Quidditch, and not making it into the Quidditch team had brought great disappointment in him. He had barely slept the night as he was anticipating Saturday morning to arrive at the pitch before the sunrise and enjoy some flying alone. Having no broom of his own, he had to borrow one and the sleek, black Nimbus 2001 drew his attention first.

Moments later he was soaring in high speed around the empty pitch. Nothing could compare to the sense of freedom that flying provided. The flags at the top of the tower stands were waving softly in the morning breeze, as the graphite sky began to wake. Aras hovered high enough to witness the skyline bleed. He could sacrifice some sleep to be flying on a broom and witness this moment of the day. Soon the golden hoops gleamed in the first light and Aras leaned forward and grasped tightly the broomstick as he spurted forward to zoom through the middle hoop in high speed. The cool breeze against his face was making him feel alive. He knew well that soon the pitch was going to be swarming with students and Quidditch teams, preparing for the upcoming matches. Aras was going to enjoy the privilege of the empty pitch as long as it lasted and started weaving around it, performing barrel rolls and spiral dives now and then, a dance in the air. Perhaps later he could fly over the Forbidden Forest. It was forbidden to walk into it but nothing was stated about flying over it.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Quidditch games came and went, and Elliot knew they couldn't win them all, but despite it being a few weeks ago, he still couldn't shake the bitter pit in his stomach over their lost match against Slytherin. He knew squeezing in extra morning practices probably wouldn't make too much of a difference, but even without the loss weighing on him, Elliot just needed a break from the school sometimes, and the best place to do that tended to be out on the pitch. He was surprised to see someone already flying when he arrived, vaguely recognizing them as one of their Hufflepuff tryouts from earlier in the year. Kicking off, Elliot gave them a sheepish wave, wondering if they minded the interruption. He hadn't bothered to release any of the balls today, intent on just practicing some feints or flying to loosen him up before class today. Besides, he wasn't sure his own ego could handle not being able to grab the snitch today anyway.

 

[Aras Ragauskas]

While busy doing his own aerial stunts, his good eye caught a glimpse of movement somewhere in the pitch. He slowed down and hovered to see that another flyer was there. Aras checked his watch. It was still too early for most people to be out of their beds, let alone flying at the pitch. Obviously he wasn't the only one that had thoughts to cast out of his head. To his surprise he witnessed the newcomer waving at him and he responded with a bashful wave of his own. The early morning glare transformed the person on the broom into a flying shadow. Aras launched himself upwards in a graceful arc, holding the broom with one hand, the other covering his good eye. He finally recognized the other guy. It was the Seeker of his house's Quidditch team.

Moments of the last Quidditch match against Slytherin flashbacked in his mind. Aras had watched the match from the stands to his dismay, finding himself to interfere every time Hufflepuff missed the Quaffle, believing that he could have performed better at some points. He thought however that the Hufflepuff Seeker had done well during the match. It was just Slytherin being lucky in catching the snitch, although overall, their team was superior compared to Hufflepuff's.

"Morning." He greeted as he dived down closer to the seeker, whose name was evading Aras. He admired those playing as a seeker. They had the weight of the whole game on their shoulders. Aras could never be good as a seeker. Being completely blind in the left, scarred eye, it would be really hard to spot the glint of the snitch in a pitch full of motion. In addition, it required more effort and vigilance from his part when it came to bludgers. with his limited peripheral vision. On the other hand, using always one eye to aim and shoot was his strength, along with being sneaky and swift flyer. That's why he really wanted to play as a chaser. He was very pragmatic with his strengths and weaknesses and used them both to his advantage.
"Tough luck last game. That snitch was a b*tch." He commented benevolently, thinking he had done everything he could.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot had been a bit groggy before in the early morning, the but the breeze now he was up in the air was helping wake him up. "Oh, hey," Elliot said when the younger Hufflepuff flew closer, relieved that at least he wasn't being a bother. "Uh, yeah- Thanks," He said stiltedly. The way the last game had ended was still a bit of a sore spot for him, thought Elliot appreciated the younger boy's comment. He was trying to convince himself it had been a good game despite the way rough way it had ended for everyone. "Not my proudest moment," He said quietly before laughing sheepishly.

"You uh, getting in some early practice?" He asked, eager for a change of subject. He couldn't quite remember what position the younger boy had tried out for, though he was fairly sure it wasn't seeker, and with Arvel and Analei graduating this year, he knew the team would need some new faces. Elliot was also trying his best not to look too closely at the younger boy's eye, as distinctive as it was. It would be rude to stare he knew, but it was kind of hard not too, even with the distance between their brooms.