To Crouch Among the Feathers PV reopened

Color Code: #259986

While Willow had found two out of the four people hiding for this game of hide and seek she had become discouraged. She had found them both on the third floor and now she couldn't find anyone else. She remembered she hadn't sent her weekly owl to her parents and decided this was a great time to go look if someone were to hide among the chaos of the most intense mail room she had ever seen. She always hated going to the owlery because there were so many steps, and she was always winded by the time that she got up there.

She liked to spend a little bit of time saying hi to the owls that she knew were nice and always enjoyed a little scratch on the head for all their hard work. She sent her letter off with one of them giving it a treat and extra attention for taking it such a long distance. As she looked for any of her other special birds that she liked to say hi to, and spotted one that looked much like a human. She walked over to him and crouched in front of them. "You're the weirdest owl I've seen here. I suppose you're off duty now that I've found you!" She gave him a playful grin before standing up and offering a hand to help him up.

@Rafael D'Spacito @Jorah Moussa

Interacting with @Rafael D'Spacito

The boy seemed tense to say the least. She didn't realize hide and seek was so serious, when she was last caught she was actually grateful from being cramped up under a library table. Crouching with the birds didn't seem at all comfortable, especially for hours on end. He said a word she didn't recognize, but figured it might've just been a sound of frustration. As he took her hand and stood up, she took an extra step back. This boy absolutely towered over her. 'What is up with all the freakishly tall people at this school.' She didn't think she was short until she came to this school, it was starting to upset her.

The next words out of his mouth matched with a look of realization flustered her. A rosy pink blush quickly spread over her cheeks as he complimented her in her last game. "Ah, yeah that! But I was just playing my position and blocking the quaffle, it's kind of my whole thing in the game. Nothing super spectacular about it..." Her voice trailed off and she seemed to look everywhere but his face, but that was pretty easy due to their height difference. Her blue eyes returned to his to try and pass off the conversation onto him. "And you're the Gryffindor captain right? I'm sad I missed out on the other game, I'm sure you guys played great!" Suddenly the compliment made her especially flustered since it was a captain complimenting her playing ability.

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Interacting With: @Willow Anderson
Mentioning: Asteria Kurowaka • Dan Palmer • Serena Towers • Neculai Lazar • Charlie Woodward • AJ MacAllister • Kyle DeRook

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[font=Segoe Print]“ – I was just playing my position and blocking the Quaffle, it's kind of my whole thing in the game. Nothing super spectacular about it...”

A small smile tugged at the lips of the young Gryffindor, his brown eyes bright and an eyebrow raised at such an absurd indication. Was she simply being humble? Or was it that she truly didn’t know the extent of her skill on the field? Perhaps if Hufflepuff had had a better season Quaffle-wise, he would have conceded, opting to let her get away with such a modest remark. However, it was no secret that both chasers and keeper had struggled immensely, save for the last game of the season, all thanks to one extremely short, blonde badger girl. Letting a phrase such as the one she had just uttered would not go unjustified – he could already feel the karma breathing down his neck, poking, prodding him on. No, he would not let such heresy and lies go unaddressed.

His smile only growing, he closed his eyes, shrugging with a loosely-feigned sort of nonchalance as his hands tucked into his red pockets. “To put it humbly, maybe,” he conceded, opening his eyes. “But, hey, in all seriousness.” His chin jutted her way, and he cocked his head slightly, as if trying to figure her out. “Saying you were just 'playing your position' is putting it lightly. Kurowaka played her position too, and didn’t block a Quaffle all season.” It was painfully true, he couldn’t help but note. It really wasn’t anything personal against the raven-headed Huffle – she seemed nice enough in their private practice, yet, somehow it seemed as if her skill on the field was lacking. Was it that she was a diamond in the rough? More fit for another position? He supposed the world would never know. She’d quit months ago.

“There’s a fine line between playing and winning.”

He would leave it at that, he supposed, unless the lovely Hufflepuff wanted to contest his never-ending well of wisdom. Of course, who was he to talk? Gryffindor had been losing all season, and terribly so, having nothing to say for their name but 50 points. They had beaten the snakes in the final game, sure, but no thanks to either of their seekers. Dan was too experienced, as was Serena and Neculai, a fact that did nothing to encourage the hopes of the other team members. How they’d won, he supposed he’d never know. It seemed as if the universe owed the Gryffindor Team an ounce of luck – he wouldn’t complain, only accept her humble gift.

At the sound of his title, a splash of color met his cheeks, and he looked down, lip bit between his teeth. “Yeah, that would be me,” he nodded, looking up again. “I suppose we played decently. Didn’t catch the snitch, but then again, neither did they.” He shrugged once more. “A win’s a win, so I’m not complaining.” If it hadn’t been for the new seeker lineup, perhaps they would have never won. Another blessing from the universe, one he’d certainly have to address some time or other. How was it, that Kyle had missed Charlie and AJ, come first tryouts? Such a thought was absurd, and for a moment, the young Captain was left considering such a staggering fact.

It was then, that he would fully understand the height of his new acquaintance – Jesus, she was short. Such a thought tugged at the end of his lips, and he looked up at the wall behind her, trying to suppress the stupid grin that was fighting its way on his face. She was actually kinda cute, in a little person way. Though, he’d do well not to let her know that – little people tended to be angry little buggers. The last thing he needed was a black eye, especially from a girl. [/font]

Interacting with @Rafael D'Spacito

With Rafael complimenting her so highly just increased her fluster, more and more red flooding her cheeks. There was also something about his genuineness in the compliments he was giving her, he wasn't doing it for his own benefit or anything. He was the Gryffindor captain after all. It would almost be counter intuitive for him to compliment someone not on his own team. But, maybe she was pushing too much of a competitive viewpoint onto the Thunderbird. Nevertheless, she felt the urge to accept the compliments. "Mm, I suppose. The real victory was in making sure my captain didn't hit the ground. I was lucky that I could leave the goal at that time. Although, flying with two people is really weird. I need to get more practice in with that." Her hand came up to nervously twirl a piece of her hair as she thought about her weakness in maintaining balance and stability when carrying another person on her broom. Especially since she was so small, generally the addition of a new person fully through the balance of the broom off.

The next comment threw her off just slightly, and she almost disagreed. A fine line between winning and playing? "But if you always play to win, then does the line exist at all?" An eyebrow cocked up at the boy, if there was anytime to gain knowledge from a quidditch captain it was when he was cornered in an owlery because she found him fair and square. Which... she still had a couple people to find, but she still had a lot of time in her day. So she wasn't too concerned about it.

She watched him with a renewed interest as a small blush gathered on his cheeks just from her calling him the captain. He must get flustered a lot during his practice then, if that was the case. Or maybe it was just because she wasn't on his team? She couldn't be sure. A small smirk grew on her face as she listened to him talk about his own game. "Now who's downplaying their achievement?" She paused and giggle before throwing his own line back at him. "There's a fine line between playing and winning, yeah?" She thought for a moment about the seekers and their job to catch the snitch. "I don't envy the seekers. Their position seems the most high stress and dangerous because of their goals. I haven't been hit down yet but..." A small shudder came over her body as she thought about students speeding towards the ground only to be met with hard earth. "It seems.. scary I guess." Again, another weakness willingly given to the quidditch captain.

For a moment she wondered if Saskia would be upset with her for giving her keeper's weaknesses out just for nothing, but she just hoped she would never find out. After all it didn't seem like Rafael was the kind of person that would use this information against her in the future, another hope. Curiously she glanced at the wall behind her to see if there was anything of interest as the Thunderbird looked at that rather than her. Before realizing there really wasn't anything at all, stupid tall people. Her eyes rolled when she returned to his gaze. "Hey tall person, if I have to break my neck to look up, you can break your neck to look down. Thank you very much." Her voice was filled with sarcasm and teasing, hoping the boy would know she was completely joking with him and not take offense to her calling him... tall.

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Interacting With: TDB
Mentioning: @Emma Hill @Anastasia Beckett

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[font=Segoe Print]"But if you always play to win, then does the line exist at all?"

The way Willow’s cheeks flushed, the way she smiled cutely, eradicating all darkness from the noisy owlery, it just – well, to be completely honest, Rafael wasn’t sure what it did to him. He definitely liked the girl in some sort of way, that was for sure, but it was strange, the way he just wanted to grin like a moron when she blushed like that. After all, it wasn’t as if she was an ugly girl – no, on the contrary, if she had nothing working for her, then her looks would certainly make up for the difference. Though, who was he to prey on physical beauty? Such importance was artificial, after all, and disappeared in time. Thankfully, the girl definitely seemed to have a different sort of beauty as well, the sort that presided in her smile, the conversation she cheerfully spouted. It was perplexing, and for a moment, the Gryffindor ceased to function, his gaze focused on her and her only as his jaw dropped in the slightest.

What was he even feeling?

A moment quickly passed, in which his cheeks heated up – he looked down, rubbing his neck as he stumbled about for words. Was he flustered? Yeah, perhaps, though he was thoroughly convinced that her words were the source of his stammering. Yes, that was the reason. Was the line blurred to her? Was his case all in his head? How did one counter, when their verbal opponent was so damn cute? He chewed his lip for a moment, contemplating the answer – “To some, the line may not exist,” he finally concluded, rotating his jaw as to ponder his words carefully. “Some people can find pleasure in just playing the game, shooting the hoops. And to each, their own. I suppose it’s a personal belief, then,” he shrugged thoughtfully, “that a game lost is a game better uninitiated.” No human being could appreciate loss. It was in their nature to feel pain when they lost something, whether it be an object, a game, a relationship. “Though I suppose one does gain valuable experience, so the energy isn’t wasted. That’s my opinion, anyways.” His opinion would only get him so far. He was certainly intrigued by hers, though. What more did she have to say about the matter? What was her case?

He chuckled when she countered his own words back, finding her friendly bite to be rather amusing, as well as welcome in the conversation. A quick nod and a smile later, he conceded with her assessment. “A dangerous job, I agree there. Though, you Huffles haven’t done too bad yourself this year.” His hand soon rested on his chin, and he contemplated for a moment, facts from the previous games floating back to his consciousness in moments. “In fact, I don’t believe Serena Towers has failed to catch a snitch yet?” He of course, knew the answer. “It must be nerve-wracking for them, however, so whether or not a seeker catches a snitch, I suppose they should deserve respect for the position they’ve put themselves in. It’s rough.”

Then, hearing her friendly joke, the boy couldn’t help but grin, crossing his arms. “Do I have to?” he asked in a jesting manner. “But you’re so short…” It was a joke, more than evident in his voice. Perhaps he should have been more worried about offending the girl, but he was only a boy, and boys could only do so much. What did she expect of him? Was he supposed to think things through? No matter, it was all in good fun. Surely she would see that… [/font]

Interacting with @Rafael D'Spacito

This game of hide and seek was turning out to be more interesting than expected. A brilliant conversation with a team captain and captivating Gryffindor at that. She honestly had been preparing just to find him and leave, but she was glad that she offered her hand to help him up. Conversations of quips back and forth could be hard to find with students that liked to think they were better than others, going straight for insults rather than just a harmless tease. Not only that but she was getting some great wisdom from a boy who may or may not be older than her. Wisdom was wisdom, no matter who it came from.

Not to mention he wasn't that hard on the eyes. "Mm, I suppose you're right. I think even if you go in losing it's an ability to practice that becomes more important. Skills that go unpracticed aren't really skills at all but rather beliefs of your abilities. At least, that's what my parents would always tell me. Especially at our age, I think we have some energy to waste in what may seem like hopeless endeavors that we just don't see the value in yet. Who knows what we'll think about them in like twenty years time right?" She tilted her head slightly with a small smile. There was always something to be learned, even if it seemed like a waste.

His laugh was lovely and brought a small light to the conversation that already felt pretty bright. "I'm definitely grateful for my position. I find a comfort in blocking the goals rather than being in the midst of the game most of the time." She couldn't imagine all the speeding and dodging the chasers and beaters have to do. Her comfy position that could be considered the best seat in the house that also got a piece of the action.

Her eyes rolled as he asked if he really had to break his neck to look at her. "Well, this short girl still found you. So who's the real loser this time?" She winked at him playfully. "Speaking of, I still have people to find so I should be heading off. We should hang out soon though Rafael!" She turned to walk away, giving him a small wave before bouncing out of the Owlery.

Willow has left the thread.