The Sky's the Limit (Open)

Subject: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:58 pm

She's back on the training pitch before her break is even over, unable to stay home by herself with only her cats and her dog as company. She can't stand the quiet, especially now that she was unable to visit her parents or even have them over at the house. She had things to occupy her but she itched to get back on her broom and head back into training so that morning, as soon as she was up and dressed, she bade her animals goodbye and apparated straight to the Hollyhead Harpies training grounds, landing just outside the anti-apparition wards.

Her locker is just as she had left it when she headed off for her week break, her broom and equipment still there; she had taken her clothes with her to give them a thorough wash. Dropping her bag onto the bench, Josie was very quick to get changed, stuffing her casual clothes in the locker before she was in her training garb, sliding her boots on last.

She chanced a quick look in the mirror and, grabbing her broom, she shut it and escaped out onto the field, enjoying the fresh morning breeze that just ruffled her hair, making her smile softly. Without a thought, Josie mounted her broom and she was up in the air, flying loops around the pitch and going through an imaginary obstacle course, the speed picking up the longer she flew.

This is why she loved Quidditch.

The feeling of being free in the air with no worries plaguing you till you touched down to the ground.

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:51 pm

"Come on, Ivan, it's time to go!" Jake called up the stairs, but no reply came.

Well, no reply from Ivan, at least.

In the next moment, Adrienne had slid in to the hallway, jam still around her mouth from the toast she had been eating. "I'm coming tooooooooo!" The youngest Newbury insisted, her eyes doing the excited bugging out that was more than usual for the child.

"No, sweetheart, you're staying with Azalea today, remember? You're going to have a girl's day!"

Adrienne screwed her nose up at that much. "I don't like girl days!" She insisted once again.

"This one is different, sweetie." Azalea insisted, catching up with the child now. "We're going to play at my greenhouse! We're going to play in the mud and tend to the plants!"

Adrienne looked between the two adults, trying to work out if she liked the idea or not. It didn't take long for her to decide, though, she liked spending time with Azalea, and a free ticket to getting dirty would always work for the child. "Okay!" The youngest Newbury decided, allowing Azalea to usher her back to the table to finish her breakfast because they were going to need all the energy they could get. With a fond smile after them, Jake turned his attention back to the stairs.

"Ivan Jake Newbury, come on!"

"I don't understand why we have to go!" The eleven year old insisted as he came out from his room, sulkily descending the stairs. "I don't even like Quidditch!" He huffed as he finally stepped to the hallway.

"Nonsense, you just haven't been exposed to enough to understand." Jake replied, not really understanding how a boy couldn't like Quidditch. "Azalea, we're off. We'll be back for dinner, though!" Jake called as he moved back towards the kitchen to say goodbye. They met halfway, and after a soft peck on the lips -- a soft 'euugh' from Adrienne in the background -- they were ready to leave. The lingering eye contact before he let go of Azalea was the confirmation they both needed that she would be okay without him for a few hours. He still didn't feel completely okay with leaving her on her own for the day, but they'd agreed they needed to keep things as normal for the children as they could.

***

The boys had left the house a few hours ago now. One of Jake's best friends from school had gotten them a tour of the Holyhead Harpies. Mike had gotten a good deal from his connections in the industry, and Jake had been more than happy to accept to spend some quality time with his son.

Quality time that they were struggling to make 'quality'.

Ivan had been interested in the tour of the Harpies' stadium enough to take on the facts about it. When it was built, when the club was founded, their history that had been filled with success. The boy had found it interesting that the team had been all female since it's inception, engaging with their guide fully on this subject. The boy had seemed to enjoy the tour enough to engage in it, but when he'd found they would also be touring the training grounds, and that there was an opportunity to play Quidditch, too, his enthusiasm had waned.

Jake's had only grown at that.

They had toured the training ground, had a quick peak at the changing rooms which had brought quite the nostalgia to Jake as he looked around, before they had stepped out on to the pitch. They hadn't been told they would see anybody training that day, but it seemed they were lucky today. The tour guide had squinted up to the sky to work out who was flying before turning back to them.

"That's Josie LeBlanc, our Chaser!" He introduced, looking really happy with this news.

Ivan didn't look too impressed with this news, his father, however, looked quite excited.

"You wanna give it a go, Ive?" Jake asked, looking to Ivan who was not looking too eager.

"Uhh..."

"Go on, pick up a broom, we'll head to the skies!" Jake insisted, pushing the boy forth towards the brooms that were on offer before he could worry too much over the situation.

Ivan Newbury

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~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:07 pm

Josie had not been expecting anyone to be at the Quidditch stadium, it was a bit early for the training to start, another few days at least, so when she heard voices from below her, Josie flew a little bit lower to look upon who was interrupting her flying. And there they were; two men and a child. A child who clearly didn't want to be there if the look on his face was anything to go by.

An amused chuckle escaped her lips as Josie pointed her broom down and dived towards the three, eyes sparkling in joy as she pretty much plummeted, only pulling up her broom from the dive at the last moment, her toes grazing against the grass-covered pitch before she dismounted, cocking her head to the side and smiling at the three.

"Well hello there, what brings you to this corner of the Quidditch world?" She was genuinely curious because not many people decided to visit the Holyhead Harpies team; at least not boys anyway. It was mainly girls that came to see them and even then, they only stayed for a few minutes before deciding it wasn't for them. She tugged her hair out of her ponytail and brushed her hand through it. She had been in the air for a good hour now and yet she still didn't have enough.

"I'm sure your guide there already let you know who I am but let me introduce myself anyway." She held her hand towards them. "Josie LeBlanc, it's a pleasure to meet you." She flicked her eyes towards the kid by the adult's side and snickered at the look on his face. "Not impressed huh? Don't worry kiddo, not everyone likes Quidditch. Though it doesn't mean you can't enjoy flying."

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
The Sky's the Limit (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:36 pm

"Well hello there, what brings you to this corner of the Quidditch world?"

The diving entrance of the Holyhead Harpies' Chaser was one that Jake, as an ex-Quidditch star, could fully appreciate in that moment. Where Ivan stepped back in to his dad for security, the older Newbury could only appreciate the skill of the witch before him. "Just touring the grounds," Jake replied to the question because Ivan's usual shyness around new people had kicked in and he remained quiet, looking at the ground so as not to have to maintain eye contact with Josie in that moment.

At the introduction from the witch, Jake smiled softly. "Jake Newbury, and this is my son, Ivan." He introduced. A soft sound came from the boy before him that was meant to be a hello, but was really a muffled attempt at the word.

The direct comment in the boy's direction did not get a response, but the heat radiating from the boy spoke volumes of his embarrassment in that moment. Jake gave the boy a little bit longer to reply, but when it seemed nothing was coming, the older Newbury spoke again.

"Ivan's a little bit new to the whole Quidditch scene. He's flown before, but he gets a little apprehensive with it. I thought we'd have a tour of the fields and then get in a little bit of Quidditch on the pitch before he heads to Hogwarts. It was his birthday a week ago, so this was one of his presents." Jake explained to the witch. Ivan still remained quiet by his side. "Come on, Ivan. Let's give it a go, you'll be able to tell all of your friends you got to meet one of the Harpies."

Ivan looked up slightly, his cheeks still slightly flushed, taking in the witch with his somewhat calculated gaze, the eleven year old moved towards the brooms that were on offer. Picking up one of them, the boy looked back over towards his dad and the witch with an air of uncertainty before he followed the movements he'd been taught a while ago on being able to mount a broom. Once safely atop the broom the boy looked back towards the two adults, waiting for further instructions.

"Do you want to join us?" Jake asked the witch. "I mean, if you've got drills to do, then please don't let us distract you, but it would be nice to see if I can still to well!"

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~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:01 pm

"Jake Newbury, and this is my son, Ivan."

Okay, Josie was glad for her somewhat spectacular hold on her fangirling. She heard about Jake Newbury, hell she had read about him and his exploits in Quidditch. He was from her home country after all and he had been one amongst many Quidditch Stars that she had looked up to as a child. Being a Quidditch Player herself though, she held back the urge to just gush about him and instead smiled politely, hoping that her inner fangirl had not shone through for even a second.

When her comment had been all but ignored by the young tyke, Josie bit her lip to hold back her coos. Gosh, the kid was adorable with how shy he was and how embarrassed he seemed to be about his reactions. She didn't really blame him if she was being truthful. If her parents hadn't been such hardcore Quidditch geeks and she hadn't enjoyed her first Quidditch game she probably would've been that way as well.

"Nothing wrong with being scared of being in the sky," She watched as Ivan walked towards the brooms that were always kept in pristine condition for the kiddos that visited them occasionally. The whole of her team always took the time to keep them in a safe condition for the kids and teenagers who wanted to try their hand at flying or even playing a mock quidditch game. There would always be accidents but at least all of them had a safe piece of mind that it wasn't because the broom failed. It was usually because a kid was too reckless. Thank god for cushioning charms on the pitch and the sides of the stadium.

"Though I'll give you a small piece of advice little guy," She approached Ivan and smiled warmly at him, a fond look in her eyes; Ivan reminded her of her younger brother when he had been first introduced to brooms and Quidditch, he wasn't a fan of it at all though he did enjoy it when she flew around with him and took him on impromptu Quidditch drills. "A broom can tell when you feel anxious and apprehensive or even scared of it. Just take a deep breath before you start flying and it will reward you with a smooth flight. Trust me, you'll be fine."

"Do you want to join us? I mean, if you've got drills to do, then please don't let us distract you, but it would be nice to see if I can still to well!"

At the offer, Josie mounted her own broom, a smirk sliding onto her lips. "No drills for me today, it's my day off so I've just been out here flying and going through imaginary Quidditch scenarios. I wouldn't mind having a flight with the ever-famous Jake Newbury and his lovable son." She laughed, lazily doing a small circle around the two Newbury's and their guide who was just watching the whole thing with a smile on his face. No doubt the two male's would end up with a handful of pictures by the end of the tour of them in the air with her.

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
The Sky's the Limit (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Nov 07, 2021 4:16 pm

The small sign of recognition in the witch's eyes was enough for Jake to know that his name was still familiar fifteen years on. What made him more grateful, though, was that despite the recognition of the name, the witch didn't say anything about his career. Jake had never particularly enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle, he'd actually disliked being spotted in public back then, much preferring to keep a low profile where he could.

Josie, therefore, was definitely someone he could appreciate already.

Not to mention she was great with Ivan, including him in the conversation without a second thought at all about what she was doing.

"Nothing wrong with being scared of being in the sky,"

Ivan didn't reply once again, instead moving towards the brooms. Jake looked to the witch apologetically. "He's a little bit shy, sorry for his lack of reply!"

Josie seemed to understand as she moved closer to him, confiding that the broom would know if he was nervous, and how to combat it. Ivan took in the advice with a small nod in reply to the information he'd been provided. Both males took up a broom, with Jake easily mounting it and Ivan taking a little longer whilst he collected himself before mounting the broom himself. With a moment of hesitation, the boy looked to the two adults for reassurance before gently kicking off from the ground. His grip was possessive in nature, holding on much too tightly as the broom shook slightly with the uncertainty of it's rider's will.

After a couple of moments, Ivan's confidence grew enough for the broom to stop jittering in place, and the boy pushed gently forward so that the broom would move off. It wasn't his first time on a broom, but the boy was always nervous with his flying and the broom -- no matter which one Ivan used. Jake followed up behind the boy easily as Josie replied that she didn't have anything specific to do, and that she would like to give it a go against him.

"Heh, little rusty, haven't played properly in years!" Jake replied as their aid tossed up a Quaffle for Jake who caught it easily in his left hand, before weighing it up for old times sake. Satisfied with the weight, Jake looked over towards his son who was gaining height slowly, but still death gripping the broom between his legs. "But, Ivan's going to play when he gets to Hogwarts, so he needs to get in some practice, don't you bud?"

Ivan didn't reply as he focused on the broom below him some more.

"Ive, catch!" Jake continued, tossing the ball up in an easy arc for the boy to catch.

Or, what should have been an easy catch...

Instead, the ball hit the boy in the shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance and sending him round in a circle with a yelp that was non-too-manly in that moment. "I w-wasn't ready!" Ivan insisted once he'd gotten his broom to stop it's circular motion. Lowering back to the ground to retrieve the Quaffle, the boy would nervous grab it from the ground before slowly heading back up to height with the adults, after looking between the two of them nervously, Ivan would toss the Quaffle (with very little strength) towards Josie, his hand moving back to his broom less than a second later as he hovered in mid-air without any inclination of moving.

The painfully terrible sequence would continue for the better part of ten minutes until Ivan would groan with his final throw.

"My shoulder hurts, can't you two just play?" Ivan insisted, not really waiting for an answer as he moved to the ground and dismounted incredibly disgracefully. Jake took it in with a slightly unimpressed look, but looked over to Josie with a small shrug.

"Wanna 1v1 a couple of times before we head back down?" He would ask, clearly excited at the prospect of giving it a go against a current Quidditch player.

Ivan, however, was back in talks with their guide. Probably, Jake thought as he tossed the Quaffle to Josie to start, asking more questions about the club's history, or other equally less interesting topics.

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Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:12 pm

"He's a little bit shy, sorry for his lack of reply!"

"That's alright," The witch replied with a smile as she watched the boy move towards the brooms though she could easily tell that he did not enjoy being near them at all. He'd probably rather be safe on the ground, which there was nothing wrong with that but she was proud of the kid for actually picking up a broom and trying to fly it.

As she listened to Jake, Josie continued watching Ivan, keeping an eye on the kid to make sure that he was safe and not about to fall from a height that could injure him. Though she was startled when the kid, who was more focused on keeping himself up on the broom, got hit on the shoulder by the Quaffle that Jake tossed and seemed to spiral in circles. She had been ready to dive and catch the little guy before he fell but he was quick to drop down to the ground to pick the Quaffle up and just as she had been about to fly towards the kid to grab it off him and ask if his shoulder was okay, he hesitantly tossed the Quaffle towards her, which she easily scooped out of the sky, holding it beside her before tossing the Quaffle back and forth with the two Newbury's, worriedly watching the boy who seemed to slowly start losing his throwing strength.

Her answer to that came fairly quickly when Ivan let them know that his shoulder hurt which meant that despite the pain, he had continued throwing the Quaffle, either because he didn't want to show his pain or to not disappoint Jake. Either case didn't look good but Josie was in no position to judge what was going on there so she skillfully ignored the look that Jake showed Ivan.

"Wanna 1v1 a couple of times before we head back down?"

"Sure, I'd love to see how I fare against a legend." She teased Jake softly as she rose much higher in the sky, skillfully catching the Quaffle. She had not expected to meet THE Jake Newbury when she came to the fields but here she was, about to 1v1 with the man. It should be a fun few minutes for them.

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
The Sky's the Limit (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: The Sky's the Limit (Open) Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:26 pm

With a final glance back towards Ivan who was in deep talks with the guide, Jake followed Josie up higher in the sky. The ex-Quidditch star's body flooded with the same kind of adrenaline as he used to feel back when he was playing, and he couldn't help but feel giddy with the reminder of that feeling. Heading towards the goals, Jake took up a stance halfway between the witch and the goal before turning back towards her.

After shifting slightly in his seat, the man called out.

"Ready when you are, Josie!"

And it began. The duo swooped through the air easily, dodging one another, and trying to obtain the Quaffle. Jake had missed his first tackle, being a little too slow on the dodge Josie had played. An easy first goal had been given to the witch, and Jake had been annoyed with losing such an easy first play. Grabbing the Quaffle, Jake had turned back towards the witch, and flown fast, pressed flush to his broom. He'd not pulled out of the straight dart at all, ensuring he flew straight at the witch before rolling underneath her when she looked as if she was ready to block. Smiling as he soared past her with similar ease to her first goal. The Quaffle sailed through the hoops and Jake looked much too pleased with himself.

The next couple of plays were better contested between the two of them. Both managing to foil the other's chances in the goals. Jake's adrenaline rush had been more than enjoyable, and by the time Josie had extended a two goal lead, it was clear that he had lost it a little bit since retirement, but certainly could put up a good run. As the third goal to Josie's advantage went in, the Auror let out a soft laugh.

"I think you've got me beat!" Jake announced after recovering the Quaffle from the hoop. "Well done, you play really well!" He conceded motioning back down towards the ground before he tossed the Quaffle back to the witch. "I best be getting on, Ivan will want to be finishing off the tour."

Heading back down to the ground, Jake dismounted from the broom as a half-jump before turning his attention back to his son.

"What did you think?" He asked, not noticing the excitement in the guide's features as he focused on his son.

"You lost." Ivan pointed out simply.

Letting out a laugh, Jake mussed his son's hair in good nature. "Always so literal. We best be off, anyway, say goodbye to Josie -- and thank you for her time."

"Thank you. Bye!"

Ivan's usual lack of social skills were on display once again as the man turned back to the witch. "Thank you for the good game, really enjoyed having a game with someone again. Brings back good memories. Maybe we'll catch you another time at a game, or something." Jake finalised, giving the witch a thankful smile. Turning back to the guide, Jake put his hand on Ivan's shoulder. "Shall we continue on?"

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~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

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