A rather large, round, bright green lollipop caught Penelope's attention immediately. That one looked like a good one. Yes. It was going to be the one she collected first.

Angling her broom to want she thought would be the best way to go at it, she was about to start speeding up when she caught sight of the Puff Seeker Alec trying to land his broom. She couldn't help but snicker when he not only failed to land properly but also fell over. HA. Take that. So much for being a good flyer. Granted, these brooms weren't exactly the best for even the most talented flyer, but that detail was unimportant. And it seemed she wasn't the only one amused by it as another Hufflepuff boy made a comment to the Puff too.

That amusing sight couldn't keep her attention for long though. Collecting these lollipops was far more important. So Penelope leaned forward a bit, pointing her broom down near her chosen lollipop as the broom picked up a little speed. She made sure not to go too fast though, of course, still remembering how moving too quickly - quick for these brooms, anyway - didn't help with the bucket situation.

Leveling the broom out once it was close to the ground, she slowed even more as she drew nearer to the lollipop and lifted a hand to reach down and grab the treat. Closer...closer...she grabbed it! And she pulled - then pulled again a bit harder - and harder - and her broom was nearly past the lollipop now - she pulled even harder - "Got-" ACK!

The force of yanking on the lollipop harder when it finally left the ground unbalanced Penelope and she toppled over the side of her broom and fell the few inches to the ground, landing on her back.

It didn't hurt much since she fortunately didn't have very far to fall, but it stunned her for a few brief seconds. Meh. That wasn't fun. But at least she had her lollipop in one hand and her broom with the bucket on the handle in the other.

Penelope sat up, dropped her green lollipop into the bucket, then stood and mounted the broom, kicked off the ground, and returned to looking around for another lollipop or two to pick.

He didn't get the red lolly and the worst part he fall from his broom!

Great Catch? Yeah. It'd be a great if he actually catch something. ITS ALL SUMMERS FAULT! He knew he shouldn't blame him on his failure but it just to easy blaming Alec. Shrug.

He hopped onto the ancient broom once again, he still need to grab that red lolly. He flew just a few inches from the ground just in a perfect height for his hand to reach some lollies. He flied straight to his target. Hand down. Aaaaand. Grab!

Messer turned his gaze toward Alec and waved his red lollipop to him. Look Blacky. I managed to catch it.

Holy Superman, those lollipops looked delicious! Not as delicious as ice creams would look but lollipops were still nice! And these were so colourful! Did they get to keep them afterwards? And eat them? That was the main question here.

But what he needed first was a bucket of his own! Alec flew around, looking around for a spare bucket. But... most of the buckets that had been laid out seemed to have already been taken! Had he really taken that long to warm up? He hoped not! He didn't want to still be collecting lollipops whilst everyone else was already done. And he really did want to collect lollipops!

OH LOOK! Shiny bucket! The Hufflepuff grinned before leaning down and flying around close to the bucket at its height. This was simple, right? Like catching the Snitch but with his broom and not his hands. But, that in itself caused a bit of a problem. How was he meant to catch the bucket with his broom when his broom seemed to hate him? Odd.

He leant back on his broom, slowing down slightly and flew forwards. That bucket was going to get CAUGHT! He flew forwards and... JUST missed. Alec scowled slightly as he turned around the face the bucket again. If only he KNEW what he was doing wrong. Then he could do this properly.

Focus. Concentrate. And FLY! It seemed to take him forever to fly forwards towards the broom but, once he was close to the bucket, he slowed down some more. The broom continued to fly forwards and the handle of the bucket slid along the broom handle. YES! Alec flew up a bit to get the handle of the bucket to slide down before levelling off and flying forwards. Now... LOLLIPOP CATCHING TIME!

So one down. How many more to go again? Seven total right? So six more. Hm. Penelope looked around, searching for a good lollipop to get, and suddenly spotted two of them growing veeeery close together, a blue one and one with purple and blue swirls. Perfect!

This time, though, she wasn't going to go at that pathetically slow pace. She needed to go a little faster if she wanted to get those lollipops out more quickly. Surely that would work, right? The force of pulling combined with the speed would surely make those lollipops come out sooner. Though considering there were two she was trying for this time, it might be a little iffy. But she was willing to try.

So keeping her broom level and fairly close to the ground, she flew away from the two lollies several feet, then turned and pointed her broom straight towards them. Penelope then leaned forward and as her broom began picking up speed, she extended one hand out and downwards to get ready to grab the lollipops. Closer...closer - grab!

She had them for a moment, she thought they might be coming up from the ground, but then her hand slipped, and she and the broom continued forward, without the two lollies. Frowning, Penelope slowed the broom and turned around so that she was facing them again. Eyeing them, she noticed they did seem to have been pulled up just a bit and bent towards her.

Hm.

She circled back around to where she had started and repeated what she had done before. She sped up, extended her hand down, grabbed the two lollies, pulled, felt them start to come with her, and then felt her hand slip again. Turning back around to check on them once more, she saw they were definitely starting to come up from the ground now, almost looking as if they wanted to.

Once more ought to do it then.

She repeated the process once more and this time, with a little extra hard tug, succeeded in pulling the two lollipops up and out of the ground. Yes! She dropped them into her bucket with the other one.

Three down, four to go.

This was something he was really really REALLY excited about. Sure, Vindictus said it would be a bit tricky but they got to use their hands right? It would be a lot more like catching the Snitch now except... you didn't have to yank the Snitch out of the ground. At least, he has never had to do that before. Especially not on a medieval broom that seemed to hate him.

Feeling slightly more confident about this process, Alec flew around, searching for the right lollipop to grab. But all of them looked so nice! It was as if he was in a comic book store and he only had enough money to get one comic book. He searched around some more and then his eyes landed on a bright orange one. It was BIG and it seemed to be slightly higher up than some of the others. That should make it easier right? Yeah.

So Alec used the same tactic he had used for the bucket-grabbing task and flew around close to the lollipop he wanted to catch. He flew closer and closer to the lollipop and reached his hand out to grab it.

...

And... the lollipop seemed to zoom past him. How in the name of Superman's Super Senses was he going too fast to catch a lollipop?! Confused.

The Hufflepuff turned around as sharply as he could on his broom which wasn't that sharp thanks to the slowness of the broom and eyed the lollipop some more. He flew as slowly as he could on his broom and flew towards the lollipop. At this speed, it seemed as if he was taking part in some sort of slow motion action movie. Hey, he could pretend that he was! Yeah!

He leant down in slow motion as well, his hand outstretched towards the approaching lollipop. His fingers wrapped around the lollipop and he YANKED it out of the grass. SUCCESS! He straightened himself and dropped the lollipop into his bucket. There. One down... six more to go!

Messer put his sixth lollipops into the bucket.

Clank!

He only need one more to finish the task. Last lolly here I come! He didn't care which lolly he could grab. Any lollies would do. He slowed down the ancient broom as he got near the lollipop. He made attempt to grab one of the delicious candy. While his right hand was down, he tighten his grip on the broom then he felt some splinters on his left hand. Splinters won't hold him off from his last lollipops! In fact nothing could holding him off from it!

The Hufflepuff grabbed a lolly, the one with green and orange colors. He picked it up from the ground. HE GOT IT! His last lollipop. He put it into his bucket.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Seven lollipops.

Laura had decided that once this was over she would never ever use this broom again she hated it and it was hard to ever catch a bucket, she had no idea what she was going to do to get the bucket to actually stay on the broom.

Laura caught the Bucket but after trying to put in back on the broom it went wrong again and fell to the floor, Laura felt like flying down and kicking the bucket but she decided against it knowing she would get into a trouble.

His second attempt was no less rocky then the first one, the Gryffindor doing his best not to fall or collide with anyone as he went after one or more lollipops to add to his collection. There was one green one already in his bucket and Gideon had decided to opt for a nice variety in the other six he needed to gather. Now for the grab...the sixth year wrapped around his broom and swooping in for the catch.

His hand came back with two this time, the second one giving him a bit of resistance before coming out from whatever it was rooted in. Adding them to his bucket, Gideon switched hands to try for another as he remained flying low. However , the metal container hit the ground jostling the broom and himself and he lowered his feet to the ground to jog to a stop rather then tumble head-first.

So much for his continuing luck.

Laura was getting really annoyed with the bucket and the broom, she wanted to go back to using her own broom the one that was Awesome, she was the best flyer ever and she knew that so surely there should be something that said flying ancient brooms wasn't allowed at the school because these broom hurt and worse they didn't do what they were told.

Laura still couldn't get the broom to keep the bucket on and she was getting frustrated, seriously the Professor needed to get some new brooms that was actually good and did what they were told.

It was time for pops four and five. And as much as he enjoyed Quidditch.. he desperately wanted off this broom. My hands look like the Forbidden Forest with all the splinters sticking out. Nothing a little Summoning Charm and some essence of murtlap couldn't solve, but that was not going to happen in the near future. Certainly not while Vindictus was around.

"Woah..." It was like seeing a free hot fudge sundae with his name on it. Yes, he had just spotted two lollipops right next to each other. And if he was lucky, he'd be able to pick up the pink and purple suckers together in one try. Keefer looked down into his half-full bucket and set his jaw. It's go time.

His tongue was sticking out once more as the redhead was fully concentrated on the pink and purple morsels of sugary delight. The approach began some 25 feet away, but in his excitement, he soon closed the gap far faster than he had with previous efforts. Pulling up slightly to slow his speed, he reached out with an open palm, ready to grab the Snitch suckers. When the time was just right, he closed his fingers around them and gave a mighty heave. Deep satisfaction in victory welled within his chest as he watched, almost as if in slow motion, the freeing of the treats from their evil bonds.

Lollipops four and five were now within his possession on one effort. The goal was well within his grasp now.

Laura looked at Ella and Lyssie and realised that they were already catching the lollipops and she didn't like that she then decided that she was going to get the bucket to stay on this time even if it meant she fell off her broom.

She caught up a bucket and struggled to get it to stay on, at first she nearly fell off when she clung onto the bucket as it decided to move a bit but she finally had managed to get it to stay on and she could now start to catch the lollipops though she would tell the Professor exactly what she thought of the brooms from his time the next time she spoke to him.

Taylor hated this broom already. Her butt was starting to hurt from the uneven surface and it wasnt affecting her mood in a good way. Tay also hated how slow the stupid thing was. Taylor didnt get what the teacher's point was for them to use old brooms... wasnt the modern ones good enough? Though to be completely honest the broom wasnt the main annoyance of Taylor's life right now. Her adopted sister was really getting on her nerves but that was unimportant right now... she needed to focus on flying this old piece of crap. Tay did a lap, trying to get used to the broom. She was still growing into boredom but she tried not to show it so the professor wouldnt feel bad. Taylor still refused to go higher than 10 feet but she pushed the broom as fast as it could go which was sadly not that fast...

Two lollipops down and boy was Ella hungry! This was kinda torture, pulling pops out of the ground but not being able to open and eat them! She found herself looking longingly at the mess of them that still littered the ground. Ugh. She wanted sweets NOW. She had to be strong though...must.not.eat.the.lollis.
Besides, Ells would just have to reward herself with something much better after the lesson...like Ice Cream! YUP.

Right, focus. Eye of the tiger time. Ella gripped the broom handle with her sore hands and turned, circling the pitch for what seemed like the zillionth time. She wanted to find two lollipops that were close together, that way she'd be able to grab them both at the same time...hopefully! Was this a bad idea? Maybe. Would she do it anyway? Ehh...why not give it a go? And ohhh! What did the little second year spy with her quidditch eye? Two lovely lollipops sitting snugly together a little ways ahead. D'aww. Lollipop cuddling! And she would keep the two lollipop besties together if she could! Mhm.

Slowing her speed (which wasn't too hard considering she was flying extremely slow anyway), the blonde approached the lollipop twins, totally focused on snatching them up. She was close now, very close, and she leaned as far as she dared...Just...a bit....further...

O__O

OH NOs! Ella had only scooped up ONE of the lollipops! EEK! She had separated the two! That was SO not nice. She'd have to remedy this straight away.

Making yet ANOTHER circle, Ella slowed and headed towards the now very lonely looking lolli. And she was getting closer....and closer....and closer...and

"Gotcha!"

Four lollipops down!

Taylor was getting bored of warming up on this old and horrid broom. She had to do one last lap... her third and final... Tay weaved up and down and side to side, trying to get the feel of manuvering the broom as she flew the lap. Taylor let her mind wander again despite knowing that could be a bit dangerous on a broom especially an old one. Eventually she sighed and focused more on the class and flying. Tay usually liked flying but today she was just not into it as much. Taylor glanced at the professor and heard him talking about picking up buckets with the broom handle instead of their hands. She sighed and finished her lap. Tay was glad to have finished warming up but she didnt know what to think about the bucket activity.

Wisteria only managed one so far and was circling the field for more. As she circled she noticed Ella a bit troubled. She looked like she was about to eat anything that came in her way. Witsy figured she should swoop over and give her some words of encouragement. "So how long have you been flying?" She started, she understood her pain and she couldn't wait to get back to the great hall. "You know, for all these splinters we're getting, I don't think it would be too much to ask if we kept just one lollipop, you know?" Witsy exposed part of a lollipop hidden beneath her robe, "This was the first one I caught and probably the only one." She smiled, it's only a lollipop right? She convinced herself.

If ONLY he can steer with his legs on this broom like he does with the school brooms this task would've been lots easier, but apparently letting his hand go from the broom handle pretty much assured that the broom will turn way off course.

He leaned back the other way getting the broom to at least be at the periphery of where the lollipops were stuck on the ground. He waved his other hand amongst the lollipops absolutely DETERMINED to get some in this pass....

He got two little ones. Eh, into the bucket they goooo.

Deciding not to sit up straight anymore, Kurumi continued to lay on her broom's handle with both arms dangling over the sides while the broom continued to move forward at its sluggish pace. With everyone snatching up lollipops left and right it was becoming harder to spot the strawberry ones...although there were still a few left.

Using her chin to redirect her flight path, Kurumi actually found that the subtle movements her chin provided were much more effective than her hands. Go figure. Veering to the left slightly, Kurumi made her way towards yet another strawberry lollipop and managed to snatch it and added it to her bucket. YAY! With two more to go, and seemingly a better game plan for flying these brooms, Kurumi actually managed a small smile as she used her chin once again to push the handle left to made a wide U turn.

He peered into the bucket... it looked like he needed one more to complete the task. A little disappointed he was because all his harvests looked pretty small and pathetic. He rounded about the pitch looking for something bigger when he spotted something off to the corner where not a lot of people were flying around at. Zooming in (or maybe fluttering in more likely), he neared that area and practically seized that large lollipop. It snapped from its stick about halfway up but he didnt care. He got one of the largest ones in the entire pitch.

"Well done!" exclaimed Vindictus as he watched many of the students complete the task he set out for them. "When you are finished, return the brooms to the broom rack and stack the buckets neatly beside it. The lollipops are yours to keep. Once you've cleaned up, then you're dismissed."



OOC: You have until Noon EST tomorrow (Friday) to finish your RPG in here. Sometime after Noon EST, this thread will be closed.

Taylor sighed, finally finished with warming-up on the broom. She went down slowly and tried to get the bucket. Tay was going straight for it but at the least moment, a noise made her lose focus and she missed it. Taylor sighed, turned and went for the bucket again but yet again she lost focus. Tay was getting annoyed at the bucket but turned around again and made sure to be completely focus all the time. Taylor grinned as she got the bucket on the third time. I guess third time really is the charm... Tay sighed at the corny thought but couldnt help but grin at how she got the bucket without her hands. Tay looked around at the lollipops and sighed. Great... I got to get some lollipops... She wanted off this old broom. Her butt was getting numb by the bumpy handle and she was sure that she would have splinters by the end of the lesson.

Alyssa heard the Professor call out to everyone to return and so she leaned forward on her broom, pointed the handle towards the ground until her feet touched it. She then leaned back and slowly pulled back on the broom handle until the broom came to a halt.

Alyssa quickly dismounted and pulled the bucket off the broom handle. She then picked up the broom and carried it over to the broom rack where she placed it back into its slot. Taking out the 7 lollipops out of the bucket, she placed the candy in her pocket before carrying the bucket over and stacking it neatly with the others.

Picking up her backpack which she had left on the ground, Alyssa made her way to the Professor, while at the same time trying to ignore her scratched up inner thighs. She knew that was going to be spending some time tonight removing the splinters from that area, as well as her legs and hands.

She walked up to Professor Vindictus and said,"Thank you, Professor for another interesting lesson and for these candies." Alyssa said as she patted her pocket filled with them. Then she quickly ran towards the castle. She had some major tweezing to do.

Nerida had thought putting a bucket by its handle onto a broom would be really easy but after the first try Nerida had her doubts. As she began to loop around the pitch Nerida once again reminded herself no hands! As she made a turn she leaned down to get a bit lower since she had risen herself when preforming the loop. She once again bit her lip as she approached the bucket. She wanted to get it this time. She wanted to close her eyes like she always did when she get nervous. Eep, here it comes!! And she did it the bucket was on her broom! Yes!!

Time to collect those yummy lollipops, but first to look around for a yummy strawberry or orange one. Raising her broom up in the air to get a good look around she saw a strawberry one or was it cherry oh well it was a lollipop. She leaned down on her broom and made way for the lollipop as she reached the ground she reached down and BANG she fell off her broom. Standing up she dusted herself off and picked up her broom. After getting back on her broom she began her second attempt on her lollis.

Laura decided it was time to catch a couple of Lollipops, she finally managed to get 2 Lollipop but she couldn't seem to get another one after that, the Professor old brooms was annoying her now evertime she tried to get a lollipop the broom would do what it wanted to do, why was this broom so annoying.

Completing the turn, and it coming out much wider than she had thought it would be, Kurumi found herself on the opposite end of the pitch from where she had started. Instead of the rounded lollipops Kurumi was now in a field of ones that resembled unicorn horns. Glancing into her bucket while she continued to lie down on her broom and double checked on her lollipop count.

Eyes back on the lollipops under her, Kurumi reached down and closed her fist around it tightly and tugged on it to pull it out of the ground. The handle of her broom dove slightly, knocking into several lollipops and making them fall over but Kurumi was alright because none of them were strawberry. What she was concerned about was that her broom was now in a slight nose dive towards the ground and she was sliding forward off her broom. Not good.

Pulling up on the handle, Kurumi ended up bringing her broom to a stop...which made snatching lollipop number seven so much easier. Bucket full, Kurumi hopped off her broom, seeing as she really wasn't that far off the ground, and clutched the handle with one hand while the other held on to the bucket of lollipops. She was going to have to share these with Lewis.

Returning all her things from where she had gotten them, Kurumi put her lollipops in her bag and pulled out a small box of snitch cookies which she then presented to Professor Vindictus. "Thank you, professor," Kurumi said with a slightly uncharacteristic smile when it came to Flying lessons.

Having handed over the cookies and everything else, Kurumi grabbed her bag and made her way off the pitch.

They're allow to keep the lollies?! YAY!

Messer dismounted his broom when his feet touched the ground, he jogged a little and made sure that he didn't trip over. The Hufflepuff took the bucket off from his broom handle and put it neatly along with the broom to the broom rack. He took his seven lollies with him and put it on his backpack.

He went back to where Professor Vindictus was to say goodbye at the same time as Kurumi gave the Professor snitch cookies. ME WANTS THAT COOKIES! He wondered whether the Prefect still has extra cookies.

Ehem.

Back to what he's planning to do. "Thanks for the lesson, Professor. Good Day!" he said before he left the field.