Ozskar C. Tryouts & Practice Thread (Mimosa)

Ozskar looked at Mimosa and asked with a grin. "Did I ever tell you about my second-year tryouts?" (Enter Flashback)

Ozskar stood with the other Slytherins his hands sweaty from the fear and anticipation his grip on the broom tightens slightly as he looks around at the others trying out for a beater position. Four. You can beat four, you've got this. He thought while examining the others trying out for the position. There were two third years, a sixth, and a fourth year.

When the Slytherin Quidditch team captain approached Ozskar immediately began examining everything he could about them, desperate to find anything that could help give him an edge in the tryouts to no avail. "Alright, so we're going to start with the youngest so. Ozskar? You're up first. We're gonna set the Bludgers on you to see how you fare against them, bonus points if you can hit the goal posts." They said as they prepared to release the Bludgers. Ozskar nodded, took a deep breath, and mounted his broom, a Comet 290.

He gripped the bat and pushed off the ground feeling himself lifting off the ground at a quickly increasing pace before he heard the bludgers get released and turned. His eyes widened at how fast they were and he brought the bat down nicking the first bludger straight down. But as the other bludger approached he gripped the broom with his right hand swapping the bat to his left and pushed forward hoping to buy some time. The second beater missed him slightly before changing its course towards him again. Where he was more prepared and knocked it off further to the right side of the field afterward he turned to scan the field for the other bludger which had just begun moving towards him again. Ozskar dove towards the ground as a goal formed in his mind. I should hit the bludgers into the ground! But as this thought was being formed the second bludger had struck him by surprise and nearly hit him knocking him slightly off course but ultimately not harming him.

Ozskar pulled up as he approached the ground and turned to see both bludgers racing after him.  Where he took the bat and hit the first straight into the dirt below him, which caused Ozskar to more confident switching the bat to his other hand which was less soar. With this new found confidence Ozskar took the bat and attempted to hit the nearby goal posts. But he missed the goals themselves and instead knocked the bludger into the dirt not far from the first.

After this, the Team Captain called him back and helped put the bludgers away. "You'll get your results in around a weeks time." They said before gesturing for Ozskar to watch the rest of the tryouts, after which he headed back to the Slytherin common room, and sure enough, after a week he received news that he was the new Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team. When he heard this he excused himself from the table in The great hall and went to the Slytherin male dormitory where he re-read the letter twice with the largest smile on his face.

"Anyways, the point of that story is that I wasn't all that good in the beginning. Believe me, you'll get there." Ozskar said to Mimosa before picking up the beaters bat. "Now. Back to practice?"

Though the Slytherin team was still firmly of the opinion that Mimosa would not be playing in the February match, there was at least one reasonable boy in the group of seven. Ozskar had probably noticed what a great player the first year was and had offered to coach her while she remained officially benched and though Mimosa was certain she didn't need extra coaching, it was still a chance to at least fly with a member of the team.

So Monday evening after her classes, the child had skipped down to the Quidditch pitch with her Firebolt Flash in one hand, the initials "MAC" in pink glinting off the beautifully finished handle. Her broom never failed to attract attention as she walked past and Mimosa rather liked that. Everyone should know she had one of the only three Flashes made in the world.

Ozzy had been waiting for her where he said he would be, and the child waved at him energetically before skipping and tripping her way to the fourth year Slytherin. He was much nicer than his fellow Beater and Mimosa was looking forwards to Beating with him on the team.

But Ozzy didn't start the coaching right away, instead he launched into a tale of his own tryout, something Mimosa did her best to listen to despite how charged and ready to go she was. Something about goal keeping or bats or not being good. It all turned in her head until the little witch stared up at the boy confused. Finally, when he said she would get better with practice, she grinned.

"What do you want me to do, coach?" she asked, releasing her broom and mounting it in a swift, fluid, graceful motion. "Let me at 'em, I can do it!"

"Hold up. Before we start. I want you to fly around with your wand in your right hand. Just so you get the hang of one-handed flying. I don't actually know what your level of skill is at so I want you to start from the basics for a beater." Ozskar said as he pulled out his own wand. Only partly to show her what he meant, the main reason was actually in case she fell off her broom.

Would she take brutal honesty well? I mean. I'm certain she would love to hear me say she has skill. But I really don't think she does. Potential?
Of course. Skill? None that I've seen. He thought before shaking the thought out of his head and turning to face her. Mounting his own broom. It wasn't a fantastic broom actually it wasn't new at all. It was a Comet 290, but he liked how it rode. It was steady and turned well so it was a worthwhile sacrifice for the speed other newer brooms had.

Upon being instructed to ride around one handed, Mimosa let out a gleeful grin. Finally! She was flying with a member of the actual team. The actual flying wasn't so hard due to the sheer mechanics of her broom. The Firebolt Flash seemed to react to her thought more than her touch, even enabling Mimosa to ride no handed should she wish. However, the young witch had been too frightened to actually try that out.

"Aye aye Coach," she saluted smartly before hopping on to her broom. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out her wand. The child had never really found it useful, she had no idea why. Wands just didn't work as well for her as they did for everyone else. Regardless it was good for holding in one hand while she navigated her broom with the other.

At her mental instructions and the lightest of touches, the Flash rose twenty five feet in the air before coming to a stop, making sure Ozzy's broom could keep up. With one hand firmly held out clutching her wand, Mimosa kept her other on the broom handle. "Ready?" she called out. "Get set," the broom beneath her shuddered. "GO!" she yelled and the Flash took off, completing a circle of the pitch in less than two seconds to stop back where it had started from. And all with a little, one handed rider pulling the reigns.

"How was that?"

Ozskars eyes widened at the speed of the broom. He knew she had a fast broom. But he never considered how fast it actually was. "Uh... I'd say that was pretty good. Can you try swapping hands?" Ozskar asked as he swapped his wand to his own left hand.

Jesus Christ. That would make a great broom for a Seeker or a chaser He thought as he pictured himself on the field with that broom. He knew immediately that he would hate it. He wouldn't be used to that speed and wouldn't be sure of how to actually use it constructively.

"Also Mimosa. I doubt you'll ever be going that fast on the field. Possibly if you're trying to get from one side to the other but even then your goal is to stop the bludgers and hit them towards the other team. Just remember to keep that in mind." He said as he prepared to go forward as fast as his broom could take him.

When he asked her to try swapping hands mid flight, the child hesitated. Swapping might require letting go of the broom handle entirely and she wasn't sure she as brave enough to try that at the Flash's breakneck speed. Luckily Ozzy solved that dilemma for her when he told her she would need to slow down.

"Oh, I never thought of it like that..." the first year admitted, her blue eyes focused in concentration as the Beater spoke. She had always assumed it mattered how fast your broom went but... But it looked like her broom was faster than the bludger. She would have to learn to slow down to actually hit it.

"Okay, let me try again," she spoke out loud more for her benefit than Ozskar's. Starting her broom once again, Mimosa found that it had memorized her last few flight patterns and always started at top speed, zooming her halfway around the Quidditch pitch before she could make it slow down to a normal pace.

"Steady... steady..." she murmured to the Flash as the broom slowed down, trying its best no to jolt her in the process. Too sharp of a halt could send her flying and and two slow would compromise on distance.

"I think I need to practice flying slower first... before I can try switching hands," she called out to the older Slytherin, her grip tight on the handle in case the pace changed without her knowledge again.

"That was good! You slowed down! You don't have to swap hands until you're sure that you're ready to do it." Ozskar reminded her as he followed her on his broom.

"Now. I'm curious about how well that broom turns. Do you think it could make a good sharp turn? Or do you think it's speed will force it into a wider turn radius?" Ozskar asked as he moved to her side, his eyes switching from her to the broom.

Hm.. she seemed a tiny bit nervous about swapping hands. I guess we'll just focus on one-handed flying for now. He thought as he took out a small notebook and put a note about her brooms speed, and Mimosa's current capabilities in each of these areas.

Top speed: Outstanding
Turning radius: Unknown
Single-handed (Right): Good
Single-handed (left): Uknown
Brute strength: Abysmal
Wit: Uknown

"So. How 'bout you try giving me about as good a turn you can make without slowing down too much. But remember your top speed isn't the goal. Try keeping a consistently even speed with me while you turn." Ozskar said as he began moving at a fairly fast speed, not his own tops speed but maybe 75% of the way there.

When Ozzy reassure he that she didn't have to try the hand switching until she was good and ready, the ten year old let out a sigh of relief. If she fell down from this height, her body would be nothing but bruises, she figured.

When the Beater asked her to try a turn, the little witch nodded. She had never really tried sharp turns on this broom before. So far she had only used the speed to go up really really fast or go straight. "Okay, I'll follow your lead," she agreed as he got on his broom and took a wide arc around the pitch. Mimosa followed, keeping her broom in line. It wasn't going as fast as before but fast enough to keep up with his, maybe even a few paces ahead.

To her surprise, turning was a smooth experience on the Flash that comprised neither on speed nor on her stability atop the vehicle. Smooth turns appeared to be the broom's second nature, in fact it turned so fast Mimosa had to blink to realize she was now facing the other direction.

"Oh.. that was easy," the child giggled before doing smother sharp turn, and then another untll it looked like she was going in circles, her hair fanning out all around her like the blades of a helicopter. "Oooh head spin," she called out, pulling the broom to a sharp stop and reaching up a hand to cradle her head. "Should't have gone so many times."

Ozskar watched her make the turn and let out a sigh of gratitude that if the Quidditch team did ever accept her as a beater than she would at least be able to make good enough turns to dodge and maneuver the Quidditch field.

"Alright well now that we know you could match me in turning.. how 'bout we swap your wand for the beaters bat. See how well you do with that in your hands." Ozskar suggested as he floated down to the field and picked up the bat he used in Quidditch before returning to her side and offering it to her.

"Try flying around with it. Try once while holding it in your right hand and once while in your left." Ozskar suggested as he noted down that her turning was above average. "Just remember you're not going full speed here. This is so you can keep up with and outmaneuver the bludgers." He reminded her still offering the bat.

Mimosa wasn't at all surprised she was doing so well. In fact, the child actually wanted to find the team captain, stick out her tongue at him and loudly shout "I told you so" but sadly the captain wasn't around. And Ozzy wasn't done with her yet. Which was fine by Mimosa, she would learn all she could today and then go find the Captain to shove it in his face.

When the older Slytherin floated down to retrieve the Beater, Mimosa waited with baited breath. She had never actually touched a Beater's bat but how hard could it be if Ozzy was carrying it around so easily? In fact, Mimosa was sure she would be amazing at it just like she was amazing at everything.

It was when Ozskar extended the bat to ehr and she reached out for the thick club that she first felt the weight of the bat, as it sent ehr broom tumbling down to the ground. Her spindly arm felt as if it was wrenched from her body, dragging her down along with the Flash until she let out a scream of pain and lost her grip on the equipment.

By the time she was able to reposition her broom, she was a good fifteen feel below the Beater and nursing an arm that looked to be bruising around the wrist. "Are- are you sure that's the right bat?" the child asked, willing herself not to cry in front of the big boy. "It's... How can one person carry it? It looks like it needs three people to lift it."