A little breathing room on Library

Stephen Baxter

July 23, 2006 9:59 AM

A little breathing room by Stephen Baxter

The library was fairly quiet. A rustle of pages somewhere beyond the bookshelves, a murmur of muted conversation coming from a quiet group over at another table. Sitting there, in the midst of the peace, was Stephen Baxter. He frowned ever so slightly as he flipped through a thick book, pausing every now and then to run a finger under some text and make a quick note in the notebook he had with him. He was determined to leave no stone unturned in this, and the notes that covered the last few pages with pointers towards some of his hand-drawn diagrams were a solid testiment to this determination.

Flipping back to the back of the book, to double check that he hadn't missed something relevent mentioned in the index, Stephen let the book close properly with a thud and allowed himself a relieved sigh. There was sun shining in through the nearest window, and it reminded him that there was a whole world of other things he could be doing out there, hanging with his friends or exploring the gardens some more (there always seemed to be something new to find in there) or flying or maybe even slipping Mia the poem he'd been working on for the past week which was even now in his pocket, awaiting the right chance to be delivered. It was abysmal, but Stephen was quite proud of it and hoped to use it to convince Mia to go out with him.

But this needed to be done too. Heck, Stephen wanted to be doing this, and doing it right, and didn't care if he looked a brain for doing so. It wasn't like he was really a brainy Aladren after all. This was all in the name of speed, versitility, flashy rides and impressive brooms scoring chicks. That and being good mounts for playing quidditch. It was a good theory anyhow, and there was plenty of proof for it. The girls all swooned over guys with revved up cars and motorbikes in the muggle world (Kimmy had been impressed by Stephen's bike) and in the magical world, Quidditch was the sport and brooms were just like bikes. Get a cool looking broom and you could talk a girl into taking a ride with you (something Stephen didn't doubt his ability to do), and then if you went really fast they'd have to lean in and hold tight and-

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind him broke into the daydream he had been rapidly falling into and he sat up properly, looking around even as he snapped his notebook shut and grinned at the newcomer.

"What's up?"\n\n

39 Stephen Baxter A little breathing room 49 Stephen Baxter 1 5

Geoffrey Spindler

July 23, 2006 11:39 AM

Spreading my social net by Geoffrey Spindler

Geoffrey was fretting quietly to himself by the time he made it to the library. His limited experience at talking to others hadn't prepared him at all for what he was about to attempt, and if it hadn't been for the memory of the barely restrained anger on his grandmother's face, and the intensity of his grandfather's portrait, and his father's quiet presence during the holidays he didn't think he'd have even got this far. He slunk along the wall, hunched up and with a frozen expression on his face until he reached the doors to the library and all bar fell through them.

This had all been a mistake. He could quite easily get by without having to make friends, he hadn't really had any before, after all, unless you counted Jennifer, and she wasn't really a friend so much as his Quidditch Captain who was really nice and encouraging. He had just about made up his mind that he would just have to disappoint his grandmother - and really, it couldn't be that important. She probably just wanted him forging links for when he led the Spindlers and there's be other ways of doing that, surely - when he spotted a familiar figure sitting at a table.

Surely that was that Pecari, Stephen something. He was pretty well-known, Geoffrey knew, and his exploits on the quidditch field tended to get talked about a bit as well. And - more importantly - he had talked to Geoffrey after that match, which gave Geoffrey a tentative claim to aquaintance. Which he should have recalled during the summer. Merlin. He'd remember at Christmas at least.

But by this stage Geoffrey was already drifting slowly towards the table where the older boy was sitting, unconciously curious as to what would bring a boy like that to a place like this. It seemed irregular to say the least. He still hadn't any intention of saying anything when he reached the table and glanced over Stephen's shoulder at the notebook. He recognised what the Pecari was up to immediately, and a sense of both excitement and of a bond prompted him to clear his throat.

""What's up?"

The reaction and the question came faster than Geoffrey had really expected, and he took a half step back, glancing up for a second in reaction before realising that the question hadn't been literal. His cheeks flushed as he looked back at Stephen, and the words stuck in his throat for a moment before he was able to push them out.

"Ne-nothing. I was just passing really, and I couldn't help noticing-" his eyes flickered over to the closed notebook then back, "-you've got the angle off by half a degree." Geoff hesitated for a second, but the friendly grin encouraged him and he offered a tentative smile of his own in return even as he reached over towards the desk and pointed at the notebook. "May I?"\n\n

39 Geoffrey Spindler Spreading my social net 79 Geoffrey Spindler 0 5

Stephen

July 23, 2006 9:54 PM

Ah, you've come to the right person then by Stephen

Ah. It was that tubby Crotalus kid, Geoff. And better yet, the tubby little Crotalus kid came complete with what seemed to be some knowledge of brooms! Either that or he was a fanatic about having books straight on the table, and Stephen didn't believe that for a second. Well, for more than a second anyhow.

"Which angle?" he asked, trying to remember which page he'd had open last. "Yeah, sure," it couldn't hurt, plus the kid looked like he needed something like this, someone to talk to and all that. He pushed the notebook towards the kid, and nodded at the seat next to him. "Sit down, if you like."\n\n

39 Stephen Ah, you've come to the right person then 0 Stephen 0 5

Geoff S.

August 15, 2006 1:36 AM

That's good to know by Geoff S.

OOC: Sorry, RL and computer troubles mucked up any attempts to reply before now. BIC:

Geoffrey smiled a little less uncertainly at Stephen and moved forward to take the offered seat. He shifted his collar a little as it was feeling tight, mostly because he was feeling nervous. Approaching people just wasn't one of those things that Geoff felt comfortable doing, usually. But the grin continued to be reassuring, and Stephen's reputation proceeded him in any case. With a nod in return, Geoffrey reached over and pulled the notebook over to rest in front of him.

"The twig angle," he explained, opening the book and flipping through it to find the diagram he had seen. There were plenty of other interesting things in the book as well, and if he went a little slower than he might have otherwise it was understandable. "Here," he said, reaching the page. "You see, how you've got them bending down towards the back? It's the right direction, but if you make the angle just a little less sharp you'll have better control with your dives. They way they are now it's going to eat into the overall aerodynamic struction and build up wind resistance."

Without even really thinking about it he pulled a pencil out of his pocket and started to draw over Stephen's diagram.

"See, if you bend them a bit more this way," he sketched as he spoke, "then you're going to get much less resistance, and if you even let the side twigs bend just a little more out - not much, of you're going to get the same problem with resistance - then you're going to get sharper turns too. When you lean in to make the turn, they catch just enough wind to push you in the direction you want about point nine three percent faster. The new velvet arrow stealth brooms are moving towards doing things like that, rather than going with the more traditional tapered point that most of the broom manufacturers today favour. Father was showing me a design over the holidays only-" Geoffrey stopped, pencil in midstroke and flushed again. "Only I wasn't supposed to talk about it," he muttered.

He looked down at what he'd been drawing, and suddenly remembered that the diagram that he'd been correcting and sketching over was one that Stephen had drawn and that he hadn't even asked before starting. Cheeks glowing red like a beacon, he hardly dared to look up as he cleared his throat nervously.

"Yeah, well, er, you see what I mean?" he got out, already slowly sinking into his seat to try and escape the wrath that surely was coming.\n\n

39 Geoff S. That's good to know 0 Geoff S. 0 5

Stephen

September 03, 2006 9:35 AM

Damn, gotta get this moving by Stephen

OOC: I'll see your RL busyness and raise you a minor stress-induced breakdown ;) BIC:

"Yeah," Stephen said, impressed. The adjustments that the tubby kid - Geoff - had made to his drawings drew him in, and without realising why the other boy had stopped his work he pulled the notebook over to him and gave it a proper look. The kid was right. It made sense when you saw it on paper, and it fitted with some of the stuff that Alan had been telling him over his enforced rest over the summer.

He looked up and to the side at the younger boy, finally noticing that he was doing a creditable impersonation of a beetroot. Stephen grinned.

"For a second year, you've got a damn good grasp of broom mechanics," he informed Geoff. He paused for a moment, considering, and then shrugged. "Any chance you're staying here over midterm?"

If he was... hell, enemy team or not, this kid would be fantastic help with fixing up Fido. And if he wanted help in return, well Stephen didn't think that'd be a problem either. Well, just so long as it remained off the field. On the field was another thing entirely.\n\n

39 Stephen Damn, gotta get this moving 0 Stephen 0 5

Geoffrey S.

September 03, 2006 9:45 AM

yikes... you're right by Geoffrey S.

OOC: Fold. Hey, you're on! Maybe we can get this thread finished today! BIC:

No yelling. No disparagement. No angry erasing charms.

Geoffrey eased out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, and the red started to fade from his face again as Stephen didn't seem worried at all about Geoffrey's interference. He actually seemed to be taking the opposite stance.

Confused, oddly pleased and feeling entirely out of his depth and field of understanding, Geoffrey felt his face heat up again as he was - and this from a fourth year! - complimented on his knowledge.

"Any chance you're staying here over midterm?"

"What? Stay - oh, no, I'm not staying for midterm. Grandmother has something planned and I'm supposed to attend that this year. Although," he added wistfully, "it would have been nice. It'd be nice to spend Christmas in friendly-" He paused. "I mean, I've heard that the Christmas holidays here are really nice. Why?" he asked, half still trying to cover up what he'd started saying before and half because of genuine interest.\n\n

39 Geoffrey S. yikes... you're right 0 Geoffrey S. 0 5

Stephen

September 03, 2006 9:56 AM

Yeah. Don't think midterm will last much longer by Stephen

OOC: Maybe. BIC:

Geoff said 'nice' alot. Stephen gave the younger boy a slightly quizzical look and then shrugged again.

"Oh, if you're not going to be around it doesn't really matter, I suppose." Although he suspected, now that he considered it, that it probably would have done Geoff a world of good. The kid needed to be brought out of his shell and there was no one like Stephen to help out with a task like that. But still... maybe a show of confidence in the meantime wouldn't go astray, and if it got him any further ahead with his plans, all the better.

"Or, you could help me up until then. I'm working on an upgrade for Fido. I'm planning on getting it done over midterm - which is why I'm sticking around. Can't do that kind of thing back home. I mean, it takes a while for any official letters to get there and tell me off for using magic out of school, but the last one didn't sound really happy, so I figure I'm better off doing the job here. It'd be a pain in the ass if I got my broom all set just in time to get kicked out of school and forbidden to fly or anything. So... what do you think? Reckon Jenny will mind you helping the enemy a little?"

A twinkle of mirth was in his eye as he grinned at Geoff, sure that he would now have some able help with this whole thing.\n\n

39 Stephen Yeah. Don't think midterm will last much longer 0 Stephen 0 5

Geoffrey S.

September 03, 2006 10:10 AM

I'd probably better get on with WTS too then by Geoffrey S.

"Fido?" Geoffrey asked. "Oh, you mean your broom. Wait. You named your broom? After a dog?" Somehow this whole exchange had enboldened him; Geoffrey didn't think he'd ever had a conversation like this in his entire twelve years. Certainly his mother wouldn't have tolerated him being so lax in formalities... or talking to her about brooms. Or dogs for that matter. Cecilia Spindler was more of a kneazle-witch than a crup-witch.

"Sorry," he still said automatically. "Jenny?" he asked again, before making the connection. "You mean the captain? Jennifer Zucchero? I-" would she mind? She seemed nice enough, and easygoing - despite being from a pretty important background if what he'd been told over the summer was anything to go by. "No?" he ventured a guess. "I don't know. Does it matter?"

Quidditch was up there amongst the most important things in the world to him, especially since making the team last year, but there was one thing that would always come ahead of even that. He'd never really said it out loud before. Well, not to anyone other than family, and while his father had said nothing about it his mother had been vocal in her disdain, and his grandmother continued to give him advice about more suitable futures. Geoffrey had his dream though, and it was strong enough to sustain itself against the battering they had given it.

"I'm going to make my own brooms one day," he said, unsure of what exactly about this older boy made him feel so much more confident about it, so much more sure of himself. There was a quality, a certain charismatic aura. He tried another grin of his own, although it was tinged with a slight edge of defensiveness and sheepishness. He almost mentioned the models at home, hopefully still safely tucked away in his workroom, away from his mother's disapproving disdain.\n\n

39 Geoffrey S. I'd probably better get on with WTS too then 0 Geoffrey S. 0 5

Stephen

September 03, 2006 10:30 AM

In that case... by Stephen

"Fido," Stephen said firmly. He ignored the talk about it being a dog's name. "He's a brilliant broom, but with all the later models around I think he's feeling left out, so I'm fixing him up. Plus," he lowered his voice and leaned in closer to whisper, "revved up brooms, dude. They're a sure-fire hit with the chicks." He pulled back and winked.

He grinned at Geoff's uncertainty over Jenny.

"Jen's cool. If she gives you any trouble over it just tell me, I'm sure I can talk her 'round. We're good buds."

The final bit was... not quite so surprising when he thought about it. But by the look on Geoff's face... Stephen was a little puzzled. There was no reason to feel embarrassed or whatever it was that was bothering him. Making brooms would be brilliant. Awesome even. He'd definitely picked the right sidekick for this enterprise, he thought, forgetting that it was Geoff who had effectively approached him, and without any knowledge of what Stephen had planned. What could have made the fat kid think that it was a bad thing through?

"Then you're definitely the man for the job," he said, ruffling the kids hair but still being just about as seriously as he got. The kid wanted to make brooms, Stephen saw no reason not to encourage him. If his suggestions were any indication of how he'd do, Stephen suspected he'd be keeping an eye out for this kids work in the future. But for now - he glanced at his watch and realised the time - "Lunchtime! Hey Geoff," he said, even as he started to pack things up. "I'll be here tomorrow after classes. See you then?"

He paused until he was acknowledged then with a friendly nod and wave, loped out of the library, checking his watch again and determining that if he was really fast he would still have time to get to Pecari, stash his books and make it back to the hall before things got well underway.\n\n

39 Stephen In that case... 0 Stephen 0 5

Geoffrey S.

September 03, 2006 10:55 AM

Yeah, yeah, I'm going by Geoffrey S.

He wasn't entirely sure, but apparently his face wasn't going to split in two from the beaming. No one had ever ruffled his hair before and while he'd thought that it would be a more... disparaging gesture it turned out that it hadn't felt like that at all. It had felt nice, like he wasn't being looked down on for being a fat disappointment or anything like that. He wondered what it would be like if his Father ever did anything like that, but he knew without letting the thought go to far that it was highly unlikely. Diggory was a man of few words, and very reserved in the bargin. Affectionate gestures were limited to the occasional hand on Geoffrey's shoulder.

Which made this - to the best of Geoffrey's knowledge - a first.

And he wasn't going to willingly let what looked like his first proper friend - the first person who had learned of his ambitions and not considered it to be a joke - go easily.

"Yeah," he echoed. His stomach agreed, although with less insistance than usual - was it because he wasn't feeling so low as he tended to feel after talking to someone? "I'll definitely see you here tomorrow after classes. I'll bring my latest copy of American Brooms too. There's a great article about some new breaking charms that they're developing for the next Nebular Express model. It might help."

He bobbed his head in a copy of Stephen's nod and watched the older boy leave. Wow. Maybe making friends wouldn't be so hard after all. Maybe, he thought as he followed, taking the opposite direction to go directly to the Hall and the delicious smells that he could already detect, Christmas wouldn't be so bad after all.\n\n

39 Geoffrey S. Yeah, yeah, I'm going 0 Geoffrey S. 0 5