Do you want to fly? I know what I’m doing, even without an airplane. Who: Carol and Hermione When: Recently Where: Outside a cafe What: Random encounter/going flying Rating/Warnings: low/none Status: Complete when posted
Carol was doing a low flyby over the city. She was enjoying the crisp air, fresh from the rain, and was having a good time just being herself. She pulled up, doing a loop, then hovered as her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten. She started to drift towards a snack shop.
Hermione had been in the library all day, working on projects for the end of the semester. Even though she was switching her major, she still had to do well in these classes. They were pretty much all for General Education credits, anyway.
Landing, Carol walked into the shop, rolling one of her shoulders and rubbing it with her arms. She got a few odd looks from her landing, but most people seemed to take it in stride. She ordered herself a sammich.
Hermione caught the landing out of the corner of her eye. She’d stepped into the shop after her day-long library session, and was a bit awed to see a woman... flying? Then again, with everything else going on, it wasn’t that much of a surprise.
She stepped over, still waiting for her coffee to be produced on the barista bar. “...excuse me,” she said, not wanting to interrupt anything important. “...are you on Valarnet, by any chance?”
"Yes, I am." The blonde turned to look at Hermione and give her a smile. "I think I've seen you posting now and again. It's nice to meet you."
“Hermione,” Hermione said, reaching a hand forward for the other woman to shake. She hadn’t seen her on Valarnet, actually, but the way that this blonde woman flew and landed on the street made Hermione suspect. Turns out her suspicions were correct. She’d assumed that this woman was having dreams and that they were affecting her waking life. Just like Hermione’s dreams were affecting hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I saw your entrance,” she added, softly. “That’s pretty amazing stuff.”
“Carol.” She smiled a little sheepishly. “Either people are becoming desensitized or just not noticing anymore.” It wasn’t something she could explain, but she did generally expect a bigger reaction to ‘oh hai thar flying womans’. “Or maybe it’s mostly the dreamers who really pay attention.”
“Dreamers probably notice these things more than others.” Hermione thought that was true. Honestly, she might not have noticed flying people until she started dreaming of it herself. She wasn’t a great flyer in her dreams, but if her broomstick showed up (yes, she had one. Yes, it was a birthday present from Ron. Yes, it was a fairly terrible present) she’d love to try riding it around.
“Then again, so many strange, crazy, awful things have happened in Orange County recently, a few people using the sidewalk as a landing strip would be a welcome change, wouldn’t it?”
“I suppose it would,” Carol replied, chuckling to herself. After the disaster that was Tony’s wedding, a little bit of simple floating around was probably a welcome sight.
“So, how long have you been having the dreams?” Hermione asked. The barista called her name (mispronouncing what was written on the cup) and Hermione stepped over to pick up her beverage.
“Several months now,” Carol replied. She tilted her head as she thought about it. “Probably since at least August? Maybe sooner. They’ve stopped. New ones, I mean.”
“Have they? I’m still having mine. I know I have a lot more to go,” she added, softly, “As they came out of order at first. Do you think you’ve got more to dream? Or do you think your dream story has ended?” Was that too personal of a question?
“I would assume so? They seem to come in burst, but I feel..whole. After the last new one. I feel whole. Complete. My powers are at full strength. I can touch the stars.”
“That’s wonderful.” Hermione said before she could help it. She probably should have stopped to consider it before the words came spilling out, though it seemed as if the blonde, Carol, was happy with her dreams. “I mean, sounds great. Like, flying! Wow. You have... superpowers? In your dreams? And they came here into this world, too?” Obviously. Hermione was still putting it all together in her mind.
“Thank you.” She smiled and nodded. “Do you want to fly? I’m a trained pilot and ex-air force, so I know what I’m doing, even without an airplane.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Hermione said, eyes wide and shaking her head a bit. “I’ve been on a broom, but I wasn’t even all that fond of that...” She flew when she had to, or when Ginny bugged her enough about needing quidditch practice. She wasn’t sure how she’d do in this world up in the air. She wasn’t as afraid of heights as her counterpart in the dreams, but... it would probably take some convincing.
“You’ll be safe in my arms, promise.” Carol lifted her arms up and flexed playfully. “I can’t take you up too high or you’ll die, which is a shame. It’s beautiful up there.”
“Okay. So... so long as you swear you won’t drop me.” Hermione said, then set her cup down on the table nearby, and left a book there, too, so she could come back to it. Then she turned to follow Carol out of the cafe and onto the street.
“Promise.” She took Hermione’s hand and led her out to the street. She held out her arms. “Come and get comfy, and don’t worry, not going to get creepy on you.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow, though she was grinning. “Just remember, I’m a happily married woman.” She stepped forward and wrapped an arm around the other woman, not quite sure how, exactly, she was supposed to do this.
“I’m happy with Jess.” She picked Hermione up and then a second later they were a hundred feet in the sky. Two hundred. A thousand. She stopped there, so that Hermione could get a good view of the city.
Hermione’s arms wrapped tightly around the other woman as the wind wooshed around her ears and hair. Oh, her hair was a right mess once they were airborne. She turned to look down, but found that was a bit of a mistake. She was clinging to the woman for dear life now, nearly lifting her legs to wrap around Carol’s. And then she saw the city, and it took her breath away.
Her hair was adorable wind swept. Carol lifted Hermione’s legs up so she had a better grip and the woman seemed more secure. “Beautiful isn’t it?”
“Oh. My. God.” Hermione responded. It was all she could think of to say. “I can touch the clouds from here.” Not that there were many--it was a beautiful, Southern California day. But still. Grand. Life was grand.
“I’m trying to figure out how to get someone into orbit,” she explained. She wanted to show Jess, and well...do other things. “I think I know how but I’d rather not risk someone’s life on a hunch.”
Hermione shook her head a bit. “If I knew any magic that would help you, I’d definitely share.” It was a little hard to hear up here with the wind and everything, but she wouldn’t trade this view for the world. “I’ll see if I can come up with anything.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to me!” Carol laughed and started to fly them down towards the city. She wanted to do a circle of Stark Tower. That was always fun.
Stark Tower was a pretty remarkable landmark. Hermione watched with rapt attention as Carol flew her around. It was an amazing view. When they finally landed, Hermione found she wanted more. She was itching for the sky now. Grinning, she reached up to hug her new friend. “Thank you! That was absolutely lovely!”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, hugging Hermione back. If there was one thing that she wanted, it was more friends. She didn’t have anywhere near as many as she’d like. “If you want, I can take you up in my jet or Cesna sometime, too.”
“I’d be honored!” Hermione said, giving her a grin. She pulled back and drew out her cell phone. “Here, let me give you my number. You can text me when you’re free, and we’ll make a day out of it.”
“That sounds grand,” she replied, then traded numbers with Hermione. “I’ll let you know!”
“Wonderful!” Hermione grinned. “I gotta get going. Finals coming up. But text me sometime!” She gave the other a wave, then headed off toward her car.