Jin was still feeling… skittish being out in England on his own. The first night he’d been let off the leash, at that event the Abraxleys had hosted on their behalf, he’d had all his brothers within sight pretty much the whole evening. Abeoji Yeom had been floating around too, in the background, but they’d all been there. Together. With him. Since then, they’d attended a few events together and a few separate, but he hadn’t ventured out on his own alone yet. Not… really. Not like this. But his curiosity coupled with a drive to get out of that zoo of a house tugged Jin’s feet elsewhere. He hadn’t intended to come to the quidditch pitch, but when in—er. England? He supposed.

The pitch he’d stumbled upon belonged to the Chudley Canons. An interesting name for a team that was all foreign consonants on his tongue. It was also on the southern-most portion of the isle about as far away as one could escape from Northumberland— or close to it.

It had been a long time since Jin had picked up a broom himself. Not since school, at least? And even then, he’d only done it on a dare from Ahn-Bo. It had been the thing that sparked whatever had come for them after the fact, a history he felt too much guilt to dwell on long. Looking out over the pitch now, Jin stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. (He hated how tightly fitted to his posterior they were, ugh.)

The smell of rain on the wind put him at ease. For a moment, he almost felt he could breathe. Out here, with nothing much going on in the stands around him and the end of a practice across the pitch, he could almost imagine what it might be like to soar freely— unrestricted. Almost. But the weight of the jade pendant around his neck was heavy and Jin felt it even as he came across a wayward broom on the ground. He looked up. It must have belonged to one of the players. He reached out a hand to recall it, wordlessly, so he might return it.

The rush of magic he felt as it connected with his hand was warm and overwhelming. For half a second, Jin was almost tempted to try it. But he wouldn’t. This wasn’t his, anyway.

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