Absit Omen RPG
Role-Play Boards => London => Muggle London => Topic started by: Sky O'Connor on December 10, 2017, 02:52:52 PM
-
After spending four days with her brother in his flat, Sky decided she needed to get out. She was never one to be cooped up for long, which is why school was so hard for her. She found herself wishing numerous times at school that the classes were outside. Sure there was Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, but it wasn't enough. So she left her brother in his place by himself and strolled through London looking for something to occupy herself.
Her time travelling all over had tamed her sense of fashion down quite considerably. So instead of bright colors and weird combinations that she wore in school, she settled on a more feminine (https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=232129305) look with a skirt and shirt. Of course, she had to wear boots, Sky was never one for heels or strappy sandals. She did wear the choker and earrings that Shade had bought her for her 18th birthday, but her hair was down so no one would notice the girly butterflies in her ears.
She walked by a park that was absolutely beautiful and made a split-second decision to enjoy the weather by sitting in the park and people watch. She ducked into an alleyway, apparated to Shade's place, grabbed a blanket and came back. Now to find a spot to sit. She noticed what looked like riding trails all over the park and so she chose a shaded spot under a tree with a perfect view of any horse and rider that came by.
She knew how to ride of course, she'd learned when she was a kid, but she had been laughed at after being bucked off when she was 9 by her brother and one of his friends so she hadn't been on a horse since. That didn't stop her from enjoying the beautiful creatures. She spread the blanket out and relaxed with her back against the tree and her legs folded to the side. Her skirt was covering them anyway.
Just as she began to close her eyes as the weather was really quite nice, she saw it. The most beautiful horse she had ever seen. Okay, maybe not ever, but it was in the top five. Sleek and black, it really was gorgeous. Without even realizing it, Sky had stood up from her comfortable spot on the blanket and was walking towards the animal with a smile on her face. "Hello gorgeous," she said when she was within touching distance. She didn't touch it though, she knew better than to touch a horse that someone was riding.
-
Sunny. Warm but not hot. A slight, pleasant breeze just to top things off. All in all, a day that was far too glorious to squander. In only a few short months, fall and winter would arrive with its gray drab and they'd all be looking back at days like this with nostalgia and wishful thinking. Eager to enjoy the weather, Sasha (https://www.polyvore.com/summer_hyde_park/set?id=232349579) had loaded up Wobias in the small, two-horse box and headed into the city. Appropriate to the pleasant afternoon, he'd been enjoying a pleasant, lazy hack along the dirt bridle path.
He'd been lost in his own thoughts when a voice drew him back to the present and he brought the horse to a stop along the edge of the bridle path, looking over in the direction of the voice. There were a few moments of mental desperation that always followed the realization the one was looking at someone they recognized, but they couldn't put their finger on why or where from. The only hope one could have was that the other was doing the exact same thing.
"You're welcome to say hi," he offered. Both because it was polite and because it bought him a few moments to work through the possibilities. "He's really just a big dofus." He was fairly certain she wasn't a friend of the family's; she looked exactly like the type of girl his step-father would have approved of and, as a consequence, would have seen to it that they crossed paths on a regular basis. She would have been easier to recognized . It was unlikely she was a former primary school classmate or a friend of one of his teammates; she would have likely recognized the horse.
Then, it clicked. "I remember!" he said, ever so gracefully exposing the confusion he'd been trying to hide. "You were in-" he hesitated and glanced around him. "You were a lion, weren't you? A couple years ahead of me." He really hoped he was right. Otherwise, she was bound to conclude he was a complete nutter.
-
Sky's inner child giggled at the prospect of being that close to such a magnificent animal. She looked the horse's rider in the eyes when he said she could say hi and if anyone had been paying attention, they would of seen her face light up like a festive holiday decoration. She stepped slowly closer to the horse and placed her hand on the side of his head and began to slowly pet him. "You are a gorgeous boy aren't you." she said in a voice she only used for small children and animals.
"You were a lion, weren't you? A couple years ahead of me."
She drew her attention away from the horse and looked to it's rider. "Yes, my twin and I were both in Gryffindor." She studied his face for a moment, "Sasha right? I don't remember what house you were in though.. I never really paid much attention to anything at Hogwarts." She moved her hand under the horse's head and scratched lightly, "What is this magnificent creature's name?" she asked him, wonder in her eyes. If this ever got out that she was being so girly with an animal, well, she'd deny it.
-
Sasha let out the reins, giving the stallion full use of his head as the witch stepped towards him. Ears perked, the horse swung his head towards her, sniffing curiously at her sleeve and hands. "Don't say that too loud," Sasha offered with a grin. "I'm certain he already knows it, but it'll still go to his head." He fished in his pocket, pulling out a pair of striped, starlight mints and held them out to her. "If you really want to make him your best friend. He's fairly easy to buy."
He nodded, confirming his name. Casting a quick glance around to make sure no one was within easy earshot, Sasha filled in the missing piece. "I was in Ravenclaw. Just graduated this past June and quite glad to have those exams behind me." How someone could have spent seven years at Hogwarts and sum up the experience with didn't pay much attention to anything was beyond Sasha. She surely couldn't be a muggleborn, if that had truly been the case. The sprawling castle itself was enough to mystify the average muggleborn for at least the first few years.
"I pretty much lived in either the Library or Astronomy tower so if you didn't frequent either of those places, we probably didn't cross paths much."
Grinning, Sasha turned her attention back to the horse when she did. "His name's Wobias. Do you, you know, like horses?" That seemed to be a given but it seemed polite to ask, anyway.
-
Sky took one of the mints from Sasha and held it out to the horse who took it quickly and then resumed the petting she had been giving him before looking back at his rider. "I was more of an outdoor girl at school, I didn't like to be cooped up inside that stuffy old castle. The only time I was in the library was when my twin forced me in there to study before exams."
She looked back at the horse before saying, "Never had any reason to be in the Astronomy Tower except for when we had class up there." She didn't really. She didn't really think of boys other than friends while they were in school, sure she had a crush on one or two, but it never really lasted for more than a week or two.
"Hello Wobias, you are a good horse, aren't you?" she told the horse in a soft voice, "I have always loved horses, just haven't ridden one in awhile. I fell off when I was a kid and my twin laughed at me horribly, so I didn't even try again. I adore them though." she said, almost wishing she could ride one at the moment.
-
Sasha opened his mouth but closed it, again, managing to catch himself before making that mistake. Even if they were back in Hogwarts and it wasn't too late to do anything about it, few appreciated being pestered about putting off studying until the last minute. It mattered little that that was the key to strong, academic success.
Belatedly, he responded with a simple and entirely inaccurate, "I can definitely understand that." He had no proof of it, but he sometimes suspected his housemates conspired against him to take breaks from studying. Completely oblivious to her assumption about student activities in the Astronomy tower, Sasha added brightly: "I loved being in the Astronomy tower. It was a great place to hang out."
"Did you get hurt when you fell?" Sasha asked, curiously. "Doesn't sound like your twin was very supportive. But, I suppose, that's what siblings are for, right?" For better or worse, falls came with riding horses. It was just part of the excitement and anyone who did anything more then a simple pony ride or slow hack on well trained rental horses was bound to experience the pleasure of hurtling towards the ground from weird angles and at high speeds. He couldn't remember the first time he bit the dust, though he could remember the first time he got injured.
He did believe the old adage was completely right: you had to get back on. "You should!" Sasha needed little prompting when it came to encouraging others to participate in horseback riding. "If you ever wanted to, you should give me a 'call'," he offered, making air quotes around the word. Hopefully, she understood enough muggle-iness to know he meant owl. Or, maybe she actually had a mobile. "I have a bunch of horses that could use more exercise."
-
Sky listened to him talk for a moment before giggling at his Astronomy Tower comment, "You don't strike me as the type to enjoy the Tower for anything other than schoolwork..." she trailed off to see if he would get it, but really she was intrigued by his offer to help him exercise his horses.
"The only thing that was injured when I fell was my pride, but I fell into the bushes so I only received minor scratches." she told him as she thought about riding again. "My brother is very supportive, but at that moment he was being what he was born to be... a boy. And all boys have their moments where they are inconsiderate and sometimes rude." She knew what he meant, but there was one thing Sky liked more than being able to do whatever she wanted and that was her brother. They were twins, they were always going to stand up for one another.
"Are you sure you wouldn't mind some help with your horses? I mean, it's been quite a few years since I've been on one, I wouldn't want you to have to refresh my memory instead of riding yourself." She was pretty sure that she could remember how to ride, but like any normal person, she had insecurities, but didn't like to show them to anyone but her brother. "I could be a useless helper, you never know." she said, placing her hand on the horse's nose.
-
Especially in light of the giggle, Sasha had a sinking suspicion that he was missing something about the Astronomy Tower. "I'm not quite sure?" he admitted with an awkward grin and shrug. "I mean, I'd hang out there pretty regularly after Professor Trishna took over. I admit, it kind of became a second home." For a significant stretch of time, Sasha had taken most of his meals and even slept up in the Astronomy tower. But, Sky had been in both a different house and year; she probably knew little about all of that.
"Not all boys are born to be inconsiderate and rude," Sasha felt compelled to point out. With effort, he was able to avoid taking that personally. "I mean, I suppose both are subjective but ... I don't know ..." He knew he could be awkward and, well, boring if he got started on a topic that was not to his audience's taste. Unintentionally dense. Overly polite in the wrong context which could come across as arrogant. He was guilty of all of those and, like anyone, he could be a jerk when he wanted to be though usually that usually entailed intentional excessive politeness to the point of arrogance. "But, some of our classmates did have interesting ideas when it came to manners."
"I'm sure," Sasha insisted. "We- I have a couple of guest horses that are good for those that are a little rusty. Goodness knows I've had a hard enough time keeping them exercised now and it's only going to get harder, again, when I'm back in school." He reached out and ran a hand along Wobias' neck. "And, I get back into competing soon, so a little technical refresher wouldn't be bad. I - um - do you have a phone? Or, I suppose, owl works." Sasha had an owl, but it really wasn't as efficient as texting.
-
"I'm really interested in riding again. I have an owl, don't have much use for a muggle phone... not many muggle friends." She didn't mention anything about the friends she left behind in Australia, she had set up a muggle post box to receive letters that would then be routed to her through owl post.
She looked down at the horse and said, "I'd like to continue talking with you about that, but it's getting kind of hard to look at you and talk. I wonder if you'd mind walking with me, instead of sitting there. It serves two purposes, we still get to talk and your horse is still getting some sort of exercise." She said with a small smile.
-
With her invitation, Sasha realized how very rude he was being and a bright blush rose on his face. "Oh yes, of course. I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if I was interrupting your afternoon." But, he grinned, despite the embarrassment, and swung down from the horse's back.
He never quite understood why it felt so awkward to walk around in riding pants and knee-high riding boots, but he did his best to straighten the wrinkles from his shirt and generally make himself more presentable.
"Well, just send an owl whenever you're interested," Sasha offered as he pulled the reins over Wobias' head and started leading the stallion. He gestured with a hand for Sky to take the lead, a gesture that was entirely courteous habit and unnecessary, given the bridle path offered few alternative routes for them to traverse.
"I'll admit, on a few occasions, I considered opening a wizarding riding school - in my ample free time, of course." He offered a wry grin but then remembered they'd moved in different social circles at Hogwarts. She likely would miss the sarcasm. "I was notorious in school for never having free time," he explained. "Preparing for seventeen examinations has a way of doing that."
"I've never known how much interest there was in horses in the w- in our world. Compared to all of the winged ones and horned ones, they seemed all together..." He glanced around to make sure there was no one near them on the path. "Unremarkable and muggle-y. And, I already have a reputation for being exceptionally muggle-y."
-
Sky almost breathed a sigh of relief when the rider dismounted his horse. Her neck was starting to burn a little from looking up at him while they were talking. So she was extremely glad when he was down on her level. "A wizarding riding school. That would be something interesting. Would there be magical ones, or would you have witches and wizards riding regular old muggle horses." she asked with a bit of a smile.
He gestured for her to begin walking and she did, not sure where this path would lead, but sometimes that was the point.
"I've always had a thing for horses, except for that little bit after I fell. I just hid it well. My parents would of bought me a horse, but I was one of those kids who never stayed with something for long and even I know you have to keep working with an animal like that." she fell silent, wondering what would of happened if her parents had gifted her with a horse. Would she have turned out different than she had...
-
"Regular old muggle horses?" Sasha repeated in dramatically feigned protest. He placed a hand on the side of Wobias' head. "My lady, but we doth protest. We are wounded." Of course, Wobias gave little more then a flick of his ears as he plodded lazily next to them. If the horse's soul was, indeed, wounded, he gave no sign of it. Returning to his more usual tone, Sasha shook his head. "I'm afraid, all I have are normal muggle horses and I don't see myself giving any of them up to make room for upgraded models." What would his horses think if, one day, some huge Abraxan or a unicorn showed up at the stables?
"Besides, it would be cheating if I used magic to win a show. I'd much rather smoke the competition outright, you know?"
"I've always had a thing for horses, except for that little bit after I fell. I just hid it well."
Sasha had been reluctant to point out the obvious, so far, knowing full well that not everyone appreciated the full we really do know best nature of the Ravenclaw. However, if she really wanted to get back in to riding, Sasha felt like it really needed to be said. "You know," he hesitated, trying to figure out the right phrasing. "For better or worse, falling kind of comes with the territory. I just say that because I can't guarantee it won't happen again. I mean, my guest horses are pretty solid but they're still prey animals and, no offense," he directed towards the Friesian before dropping his voice to a whisper. "They're kind of dumb. If they're suddenly attacked by a suspicious-looking hydrangea bush or blade of grass, they tend to bolt first and ask questions later."
"I mean, I'm not sure I could count the number of times I've fallen - and there are a few epic, bone-breaking crashes mixed in." He offered a sheepish grin. "Granted, I don't know if you have any intentions of riding like I do but, either way, you should assume it's going to be a potential."
"My parents would of bought me a horse, but I was one of those kids who never stayed with something for long and even I know you have to keep working with an animal like that."
"Well, there are always new opportunities," Sasha pointed out. Only a few months out of Hogwarts and he'd already realized how many new opportunities there were. "Maybe you just never found what you're passionate about?" Sasha offered. "I mean, it never hurts to try new things." Said the reigning Prince of Routine-aria.
"What are you doing these days, anyway?" Sasha asked.
-
Sky was listening intently to Sasha talk and added a bit to what he was saying, "I suppose it would be cheating to use magic."
She was kind of lost in thought after that. She was still listening to him talk, but her mind was back on horses, especially the one that was walking along the path with them. He really was a magnificent animal. She only wished she'd stuck with riding when she was younger. It was definitely something she wanted to get back in to, now that she was back in London.
""What are you doing these days, anyway?
His question brought her out of her mind and back into the conversation. She smiled a bit as she looked at him, "Mostly bugging my brother, I'm currently residing on his couch at the moment. I'm looking to reconnect with old friends, find a job, start a hobby... nothing much right now, but I'm working on it. It would help if there were any single boys left in London..." she trailed off, instantly regretting bringing that up.
-
"I guess that's what siblings are for, aren't they?" It took concerted effort to sound comfortable, despite the slight pang of grief and regret that followed. But, he pushed it to the side and focused on the here and now. "I'm sure he doesn't mind, too much. I mean, you're close in age, aren't you?" He had vague memories of them being twins, but he couldn't remember for sure. "Neither of you had the awkward 'little kid trailing after the teenager' phase?"
Maybe they still did. He and his little sister had always somehow managed it, even with the narrower age gap.
That was, admittedly, an impressive to do list. Friends, job, hobby. Didn't that somehow sound very much akin to creating an entire life? After all, what was missing?
"It would help if there were any single boys left in London..."
Oh right. That. Sasha grinned and blushed, taking a moment to pretend to adjust a buckle on Wobias' bridle. However, even as he did, he felt like he had to point out the obvious. "There are still single boys in London. I know this for a fact." He knew a number of guys that were still single. In fact, he knew more that were single then currently in a relationship. "Anything particular you're looking for in a guy?"