you're only sixteen once.

[Sebastian Fraser]

Sebastian remembered the year he turned sixteen. He had been at Durmstrang for that year, having left Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year to continue his senior studies abroad. Initially, the boy had been deathly scared of growing up. He knew that all kinds of responsibilities and tasks would come to hand, and Seb felt that he would have to tackle them alone. It was all the troubles, in the mind of a sixteen year old who had the whole world at his feet. For Taj, though, Seb's younger cousin, it wasn't the same situation. Where it had taken the Fraser boy until age eighteen to realize that people and family were out there to help him, Taj had realized this at tender age of fifteen. He knew that life wasn't there to be held back from, and that if you sought help, you would receive it. And really, it was a lesson learned from Sebastian, who at proved, even at an older age, that you didn't need a whole lot to make you happy.

But that was a little beside the point. Taj was a great kid, and though he didn't remind Seb of himself, he could see the stimulatory in their personalities. The way they both appreciated the simple things in their life, as much as they did grand and complex things. They were both humble, but yet Taj was allot more popular than Seb had been at his age. Anyway, there was a list of reasons why he thought his younger cousin was a great kid, and deserved an awesome birthday present that he could remember. Sebastian was like an older brother to the teenager, and as an older brother, he naturally knew what any kid Taj's age would want. A new broom.

The problem here, however, was that the young adult wasn't sixteen anymore. Heck, he hadn't bought Quidditch supplies in ages, and didn't know his facts or statics about which kit to get, or which model was going to last Taj the longest. Which why was the young man looked so confused, as he stood in Quality Quidditch Supplies, completely out of his league. Seb knew he should have just asked for assistance from the store assistant, but he really wished he had someone that was at school to help him. Someone who was up to date with what was cool or fresh at school. He really thought Taj deserved something awesome, and had the money and availability to do so. Sebastian bit his bottom lip, glancing around again, and wondering again if he should just ask the clerk, rather than stand here dumbstruck.

[Closed - Drew]

[Drew Thornton]

{WOO HOO!}

Long, lean lines that begged to be carressed... firm and perfectly toned body that created a longing in all who looked upon them... gentle curves in all the right places... golden light glistening on a freshly oiled form... absolute perfection that he felt he had to have...

The latest Firebolt model was displayed prominently in the window and Drew had to get a better look. It wasn't like he needed a new broom. The one he had was only a few years old and it wasn't like he was playing Quidditch much anymore anyway, but he still had to admire the new racing broom and could only imagine what it would feel like to ride with the wind in his face at speeds faster than he had ever gone.

He was actually considering forking over the galleons to own the magnificent broom, when another person in the shop caught his attention. Drew recognized him as one of the bartenders at the Cauldron, usually confident serving up drinks and dealing with the customers, but in the quidditch store, the guy looked pretty lost. The once-and-always Ravenclaw wandered over towards him, wondering if he could be some assistance to the guy.

"Dude... you look like you need help," Drew told him in a low voice but an easy smile. The Thorntons had a strong quidditch background and he thought that it probably wouldn't hurt to help out the store clerk, who was already helping someone else. "I don't work here, but I can give it a shot if you need."

[Sebastian Fraser]

"Dude... you look like you need help,"

The voice came as a small surprise to Sebastian, not because he hadn't been expecting it some time or another, but because it was strangely familiar. The man turned, a sheepish smile on his features. He knew he wasn't the shop's assistant, for the youth had already seen him helping out someone else in the store, but regardless of that, Seb was glad that he offered for help though. "Cheers, man, you're a life saver." he added with a nod of thanks to the guy. He looked about Sebastian's age, younger though. He was tall, and recognizable, knowing that he's most likely seen him around the pub from time to time.

"I'm Sebastian, by the way. I'm looking to buy a new broom for my younger cousin, he's turning sixteen." Seb extended a hand to shake to him. "But I seriously have no clue about whats moneys best value, or how long they'll last and whatever. That and what might be up to standard at Durmstrang." he said with a laugh in his voice, feeling kind of old saying such things. Heck, he had been out of school for a couple of years now.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew never did make it up to the bar very much and now that he was standing right next to the bartender, he realized the guy was about his age. The newly graduated student wondered why he didn't recognize him from school. He knew most of the kids around his age, but of course, he knew he hadn't become aquainted with all of them.

He gave a small laugh at the other young man's remark and a shrug at the notion that he was any sort of hero for just offering his help. He knew quidditch and the other guy pretty obviously had some questions.

"Drew. Drew Thornton," he introduced himself, taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. "A broom for your cousin? I suppose we can start with how familiar is he with flying? Is he into quidditch? Quodpot? Slalom? Racing? Just goofing off?" It was probably a lot to think about, but it was the key to which direction Sebastian was going to go.

[Sebastian Fraser]

Sebastian considered the fact that if he had stayed at Hogwarts for his senior years, he would probably know, or know of at least, Drew. He had probably seen the other young adult around Diagon before now, and if they had been at the school together, their ages seemed close enough to assume that they might have been friends. Besides, the young man seemed friendly, especially considering he offered help without hesitation straight out of the blue to Sebastian. He appreciated it, knowing full well that he would have had to gone and asked for help soon enough anyway, and Drew had just saved him from doing that.

Once his hand was resting back in his own pocket, Seb turned to guy, taking into consideration what he was saying. "He's been flying for about three or so years now, he's into Quidditch. He plays Chaser for a team at Durmstrang." he stated, recalling the various conversations he had had with his younger cousin, whether it was talking about the game, or the aspects of Quidditch, Sebastian had always tried to follow along. He knew about Quidditch itself, he just wasn't all that intricate when it came to brooms.

[Drew Thornton]

"Durmstrang," Drew echoed with an impressive nod. Some great professionals had come out of the Hogwarts rival and he knew they had a strong Quidditch program there... almost as good as Hogwarts.

"Nimbus and Firebolt are usually your best bets for Quidditch brooms," Drew continued, pointing to the latest models of each company. "Most of the professional teams fly one or the other and both have great acceleration and are easy to handle. I'd also consider Cleansweep, though you don't hear too much about them. Not quite as flashy as the other two, but still a really good broom, especially for the price they ask."

He wasn't sure if he was really being helpful, but thought he gave the information the guy needed.

[Sebastian Fraser]

Seb nodded as he continued to listen to what Drew had to say. He was familiar with the names Firebolt and Nimbus, though Cleansweep was new to him. He suspected that the first two would be a better choice for Taj, considering a teenager like his cousin was probably a little egotistical when it came to Quidditch and brooms. Something branded was his best bet, and even if it was expensive, as long as Sebastian was getting his money's worth, that was fine. Looking at window facing the Alley, the young man acknowledged it. "So thats the new Firebolt, I'm assuming? Is there much difference about it and the Nimbus's latest model?" he asked curiously, hoping for a comparison between the two in some way or another.

[Drew Thornton]

"New Firebolt, yeah," Drew answered, looking over at the display again and fighting back the urge to drool over the broomstick. Yes, the Nimbus brooms were top quality, but Drew was always partial to the Firebolts. He tried to be fair about it, but sometimes, especially when faced with something a beautiful as that Firebolt, it was hard.

"The Nimbus is fairly new, but the Firebolt came out only a few weeks ago," Drew explained. "They always seem to stay a step ahead of Nimbus and Nimbus won't be able to catch up for at least another couple of years. The Firebolt is faster and you have the state of the art precission. I mean, the Nimbus is good, but the Firebolt... the Firebolt is just a little bit better."

[Sebastian Fraser]

Sebastian looked to study the new broom in the window again. His vibrant blue eyes looked over every detail he could manage from this distance. The way it balanced on it's stand with impeccable perfection. The smooth and shiny body of the broom, and how the gold trimmed handle seemed to shimmer in the light of the day. Even the crafted twig bristles at the end, each cut so it landed in exactly the right place seemed perfect. Already, Seb could feel himself wanting to buy the broom, just so he could try it out when he gave it to Taj for his birthday. In fact, his mind was near made up already, despite an obvious section he had missed out on.

"So, uh, even if the quality difference is varied... how much is the price difference in comparison? Personally, would you say the Firebolt is worth it's hefty price?" he was beating around the bush when it came to that, Seb didn't want to seem like a total money obsessed fool - whether he was concerned about saving his money, or flashing the cash, the young man didn't take took much of a chance.

[sorry it was so long D:]

[Drew Thornton]

Price tags were always a bit of a touchy subject and Drew knew it. It wasn't a big deal if you had the gold, but that old saying of If you have to ask, you can't afford it rang true more often than people thought. The costs of both brooms were displayed and Drew wanted to be honest with Sebastian, but also didn't want to push the Firebolt if they guy was strapped for cash. Drew didn't know the guy so didn't know if there was a budget or not.

"Personally, I do," Drew told him also believing in the saying you get what you pay for. "You're forking over a lot, but you get a lot of broom and it keeps it's value for a long time. It's like an investment actually."