[PD]seeing the unseen...

Breed: Thestral Age: 5 Gender: Male
Traits: Genius (bonus to intelligence rolls).
Slow (not good at racing or moving quickly through
obstacles). Perfectionist (easier to keep focused).

Lijsbeth had actually laughed when she'd learned which mount was assigned to her for the Pegasus Derby. It felt like fate was actually on her side for once, because not only was she able to see Merlin, but she was actually quite fond of him. Being a thestral seemed like a bit of a raw deal in life, because while all the students wanted to admire and work with the abraxans, very few gravitated towards the thestral pair, simply because caring for an apparently invisible beast, much less riding one, wasn't particularly appealing.

The sixth year had been able to see the skeletal horses for some years, ever since...but she didn't think about that. She was just grateful that she was already familiar with her mount, and even more grateful that rare steak had been on the menu last night. A quick spell, and a couple of pieces of meat were safely tucked in her pockets, charmed so the juices wouldn't soak through her robes.

She'd flown in the Derby once before, several years earlier in the beginners' section, but this year she had moved up a category. She supposed the amount of times she'd been horseriding in the holidays had helped with that, together with captaining the Belle Quidditch team. Oh, well. It would be fine. And everyone else was just as nervous as she was. Probably. Telling herself that didn't help at all, nor did the strange looks she got as she approached Merlin, giggling as he immediately began nosing around her pocket, clearly able to smell the meat.

"One piece now, one piece later" she told him firmly and he chewed the bloody steak, giving her time to scramble up onto his back, though of course he immediately turned his head and started sniffing around for the second piece. "When we've finished, I told you" she repeated, stroking his bony nose. Merlin let out a grunt of assent, if not approval, and ambled over to the starting line. When the signal was given, Merlin didn't launch into action. That wasn't his way. Rather, he strolled forward, and Lijsbeth had to pat his neck encouragingly to convince him to increase his speed. As soon as he saw the first obstacle though, he let out a little snort as if to say Is that all? A moment later and he broke into a trot, then a canter as they approached the moving fence.

Rolled 1d6 : 5, total 5

[Total score: 5 + 1 for genius = PASS]

It wasn't just a straightforward jump of course. As they got closer Ljsbeth could see it rising and falling. Merlin snorted in surprise and for a moment it seemed as if he was going to take the easy option and go around, but then he leapt and sailed over whole the fence was at it's highest point. Lijsbeth gasped in surprise, but apparently the thestral had decided he didn't feel like waiting just now but wanted to get the first obstacle over with. Still, they'd cleared it and the sixth year relaxed a little as they approached the edge of the cliff. While she hadn't actually ridden Merlin before, she'd flown her broom over this area plenty of times and as long as you didn't get caught in the updraft there was nothing to worry about.

Her mount had slowed a little as they approached and he leapt into the air almost lazily, clearly unfazed by the first challenge. Lijsbeth could already see the series of rings they had to fly through, the first one large enough for a pair of abraxans to leap through side by side, but the ones on the distance seeming to move and shimmer in the sky. "You can do this...fly through all the rings, okay?" she told the thestral encouragingly, having a fleeting thought that she must look really strange to some of the other students who couldn't see her winged horse. She must look as if she was just floating through the air.

Merlin seemed to slow even more as they approached the first ring. Still, that meant they had a good chance of flying through cleanly rather than hitting her head. Maybe having the mount who was slow but focused was going to help her win this thing.

Rolled 1d6 : 5, total 5

[Total score 5 = PASS]

Almost lazily, Merlin soared through the first ring, tossing his bony head in a manner that, if Lijsbeth was the sort of person who anthropomorphised animals, would say was smug. He dealt with the second ring in a similar manner, again appearing to make the bare minimum of effort when really it took a clever beast to be able to judge the distance exactly enough to fly through the centre of the hoop. "Up now, there's a good boy" she whispered as she leaned back a little to encourage the thestral to fly towards the third hoop.

This one was a little smaller but Merlin was entirely unconcerned, aiming once again for the centre, though at the last minute he seemed to veer slightly high. Lijsbeth gasped and ducked her head as she felt a whoosh of wind through her hair, closing her eyes for a moment and clinging a little tighter to the oily mane. When she opened her eyes they were still flying at that slow, steady, precise speed, heading towards the last pair of hoops. These two were close together, the first spinning rapidly in midair and the second just a few metres further on, swaying from one side to the other as if attached to a gigantic pendulum. Suddenly she was grateful not to have a mount who liked to rush things, because she knew she was hardly going to have to guide the winged horse at all.

Merlin snorted - he actually snorted as they approached the rings, once again tossing his head before beating his wings purposefully, shooting forward and timing it just right so they soared through both hoops in one go. Lijsbeth let out a little squeal of delight, then immediatly apologised as Merlin turned his head and gave her a look that clearly implied he was offended that she hadn't taken his success as a foregone conclusion.

One more obstacle to go - or more accurately, a series of obstacles, from what she'd seen of the course earlier. Lijsbeth shuddered as she remembered the fire obstacle from the last time she'd competed and hoped that there wasn't a similarly unnerving surprise waiting for them. She could hear people whooping and cheerful as they appeared to be approaching a magically-created thunderstorm. "We can do this...remember what I've got for you after this" she whispered to Merlin encouragingly.

Rolled 1d6 : 3, total 3

[Total score 3 - 1 = SPECTACULAR FAIL]

"It's okay...it isn't real" Lijsbeth shouted above the sound of the crashing thunder, though it was unclear whether she was reassuring herself or the thestral. She was clinging tightly to her mount as she tried to guide him through the magically-created storm, though just seeing where they were going was difficult enough. Lijsbeth had tied her hair back, but the wind was pulling it loose from the ribbon and she wished she'd had the foresight to charm it to stay out of her face as she did during Quidditch matches. For some reason it hadn't seemed necessary today...

Just as quickly as they'd flown into the deep grey clouds, they were free again, damp but triumphant. "Good boy!" she exclaimed, patting the thestral's bony neck, but in the next instant they were enveloped in a cloud of bright blue. Not only that, but the very air seemed to be whirling and buzzing around them. Merlin slowed almost to a stop, tossing his head in confusion, and began veering towards the ground. It took all of Lijsbeth's powers of persuasion to persuade him to remain airborne as they managed to pass through the swarm of billywigs that had clearly been magically contained into a small area.

Two obstacles down...and as they were already wet, flying through a multicoloured waterfall that seemed to be pouring out of the sky was hardly anything to worry about - though Lijsbeth shrieked in horror as they came out the other side and suddenly were turned literally upside down. Her wet hair was hanging down, she could see the sky, not the grounds, below her and suddenly she was confused and terrified. Nothing had prepared her for this, and she had no idea how to persuade Merlin to turn the right way up...

But Merlin was entirely unconcerned. Indeed, he was soaring upwards - no, downwards she supposed - and she wondered for a terrifying moment if she was going to fall and hit her head on the grass above them...she closed her eyes and wished using wands was allowed...

Her hair flopped damply about her face, and she opened her eyes. "An illusion..?" she muttered to herself uncertainly. She would have to ask someone at the end of the flight, find out how it had looked to the spectators. But there was no time to think of that because Merlin was racing towards something, and no amount of coaxing or reminding him about what was in her pocket was going to distract him. Suddenly the air was filled with inhuman giggles and shrieks, and the thestral was whirling and diving, and Lijsbeth just had a moment to realise they were being attacked by Flemish pixies before Merlin snapped and crunched down decisively, winging in gracefully to land as he chewed happily on his prize.

"T'es un salaud, Merlin!" Lijsbeth scolded. They were disqualified from the final obstacle, there was no doubt about that. Competitors weren't supposed to eat the challenges. Still smacking his bony lips, Merlin trotted happily to the finishing line, turning his head around to nuzzle in Lijsbeth's pocket even as she attmepted to dismount. "You don't deserve it now, you know. I should just give it to your mate" she told him crossly, before relenting and holding out the remaining piece of steak. He couldn't help his nature, after all.