Who: Lex Yaxley, Kal Sharma, and Georgi Draganov What: Post-training bruise comparing. When: First week of December, before the Catapults match. Where: Montrose locker room. Warnings: Nudity, awkwardness, things that make Georgi blush.
After a particularly intense session of post-training Bludger drills that had left all three Magpie Beaters battered by the time they'd called it a day, Georgi was moving gingerly as he and the girls headed for the showers. He was already dreaming of bruise cream as he stripped off his practice robes with his back turned for the sake of modesty. He was used to changing with women as well as men, of course, but he never wanted to make anyone (or, if he was honest, himself) uncomfortable by looking.
"Ow," he said at one particular twinge, and rubbed carefully at his right shoulder, where he'd been too distracted to properly dodge a blow. "This was a good hit, Kal. Still hurts." He glanced her way very briefly, smiling. "How are you girls? Sore, I am hoping."
He was extremely proud of how much his English had improved in barely more than a week. His confidence had grown enough that he could speak without hesitating, and even joke a bit with his teammates.
Kal used the walk to the locker rooms to stretch out her arms and back, testing the spots that hurt for any sign that she would need to visit Florrie. Thankfully, while tonight's extended practice had been intense and exciting, it wasn't quite as wild as that first one had been after George's injury. She took it as a good sign that she and Lex simply worked that well together now, and that Georgi was fitting in well so far.
She pulled off her robes and tossed them in the appropriate place, then turned to smile over her shoulder. "Thanks. I might have a few spots that will need some attention, but nothing the bruise paste can't fix. I still can't believe you got that last shot under my guard!" She was frustrated with her own error, but her tone was teasing. She could accept a mistake as long as she made it in practice. Since she wasn't going to be playing in Saturday's match, it took a bit of that pressure off. "How's your arm, Lex?"
Lex had zero modesty when it came to quidditch or the locker room. She could blame it on years of quidditch, but she was pretty sure her modesty had been gone long before she made it to the BIL. She tossed her practice robes into the communal hamper and stripped down to her sports bra, examining the blossoming colours on her arm. Flexing her hand assured her nothing was broken.
"I think I'll be taking Florrie up on a massage tomorrow but between that and bathing in bruise paste, I'll be good." Lex smirked at the two younger beaters. "You gave as good as you got out there, Georgi."
Georgi flushed at the compliment, averting his eyes after a brief glance so he didn't have to flush further. He was warm enough already from the hard flying they'd done today. "Yes. Thank you, Lex. I'm feeling good about us Beaters, I think we're all doing well together."
He took his time folding his practice kit neatly, giving the girls time to go ahead of him into the showers. He hoped.
Kal grinned at them both, glad that everyone seemed to be in a similarly uninjured state. Now if the team could come out of Saturday's game that way.... "Me, too. I can't imagine it's easy to come into a team in mid-season, but we're glad to have you."
She grabbed her towel and headed into the showers, wincing a little as the water hit a spot on her neck that had gotten a glancing blow early in the session. Otherwise, the heat felt good on her sore muscles, and she focused on cleaning and massaging everything, largely ignoring the other two for the moment. She wasn't particularly body-shy, but there was no reason to force anyone else to talk in the showers unless they started the conversation.
"Kal's right," Lex said, tossing the last of her sweaty undergarments into a laundry pile before grabbing a towel and heading for the showers, groaning when the water it. "Merlin that feels good," she said, closing her eyes as the water sloshed over her sore muscles. "You're both doing great stepping up."
Georgi waited until they were both involved in their own showers before sidling carefully into a spot far enough away from the girls that the steam would help cover up any unintentional glances. He sighed as he let himself relax into the hot water, which did feel good on sore, tired muscles. "Thank you," he answered. "Thank you both. I'm… glad to play with you. Is good to be welcome here."
He scrubbed up efficiently, and winced as he hit a bruise on his hip he hadn't even noticed before. That one was from early on in practice, he thought. "I am needing more bruise paste tonight," he observed with a shake of his wet head. "It's good I have the big jar. Are you girls needing? I will share."
Kal finished up washing her hair, smiling to herself at the casual conversation that continued and feeling rather chuffed. She couldn't help laughing as Georgi apparently found yet one more bruise. "I'll steal some," she said as she grabbed her towel and headed back out to get dressed. She liked being around the team in general, but she had to say she preferred the quiet nights like this when only a few of them remained. She felt always less like retreating into a corner and then scurrying away home.
She pulled on her underthings and sat down on the bench, making a mental survey of all the spots that needed some judicious pasting. She needed to remember to get one of them to handle the one she could tell was in the center of her back. "The Catapults aren't having a good season, but I still can't wait to watch the match. Bron and Blod are lovely, but they've got nothing on the two of you."
"You can never have enough bruise paste." Lex was happy to stay in the showers as long as possible, letting out a groan as she bent down to scrub her legs. "Coach has promised a beater day if I knock Sloo off," Lex added as she stretched under the hot water.
Georgi blinked over at Lex, forgetting not to look, and then hastily turned his eyes up to the ceiling instead. "But Coach said," he started -- and then he stopped, because he was probably misunderstanding what Merc had said to him about not planning for that training session. And he'd thought he was doing so well with English, too. "I would like Beater day," he offered instead. "I'll help you knock the Keeper off broom."
He stepped out of the spray and stretched a little, keeping his back turned, and making sure his towel was firmly wrapped around his waist before he started back to his locker.
Kal laughed at the mention of a Beater day, wondering exactly what coach was up to dangling that carrot now before every game. Though, obviously it was working, and she couldn't help feeling vicarious excitement. "And I'll buy you both dinner if you do it. Wendy needs to get knocked off her broom on occasion."
"You better have deep pockets because I eat like a horse." Lex lingered in the shower a bit longer than the others, trying to work the kinks out of her shoulders before turning off the water. She toweled off before coming back into the main area, pulling on a clean pair of knickers before turning to Georgi. "You got that bruise paste here, Georgi?"
"Yes," Georgi answered, and shook the water out of his hair quickly before going into his nearly-empty locker for the jar he'd brought with him from home. He found it quickly and turned to hand it to Lex -- and turned a brilliant pink at the unintentional sight of his older teammate topless. He dropped his eyes quickly. "Sorry -- here," he said, still holding out the jar while looking determinedly at Lex's toes. "Kal, if you are wanting it also, please be free."
"There's a good buffet in town that Roger and I went to recently. So I think I can afford you." She laughed and stretched out to dip her fingers in the paste and liberally applying it to the various areas of need. "Thanks." She turned around and gestured to her back. "Can someone get some right there in the centre? I can't quite reach it."
Georgi didn't dare look up at Lex, and he still had the jar in his hand, so after a moment he cleared his throat and volunteered timidly, "I can. Just…" He scooped out a generous bit of the potion and turned to view Kal's back. "Hold still?"
He patted the ointment onto the spot carefully, touching Kal's skin as little as possible and keeping as much distance between them as he could. Even so, he was flushing even more by the time he dropped his hands and turned away. "Okay. I hope that it will feel better."
Kal stayed still while Georgi applied the bruise paste, and the smooth, cool concoction sent immediate relief into her skin. It would take awhile to fully heal everything, but just that initial reaction was enough to help her move freer. She twist a bit to test it out and then turned, smiling at him. "Thanks. Better already."
She reached for her shirt. "Speaking of the buffet. If I don't get out of here and get some food soon, they're going to hear my stomach growling all the way in Portree."
Lex rubbed some bruise paste into her sore muscles before pulling on her shirt and jumper. "You don't have to tell me twice. I could eat a hippogriff."
Georgi, hiding behind his locker door to drop his towel and quickly pull on fresh robes, was relieved enough that everyone was dressed again to joke, "I don't think hippogriff will taste very good, Lex." He peeked out from behind the door to smile at the girls, reaching for his wand to dry his hair quickly. "Maybe instead, Italian food with many carbs? I will buy?"
"I can't argue with that kind of offer," Kal said, grinning at them as she stood, ready to go. Then added, teasing, "And I don't know, have you ever had hippogriff?"