If You Can Dodge A Wrench...

Karma grinned at the Whomping Willow. This tree was going to be her new best friend. This would be... her training.

With a grin, she stepped within range of the swinging branches, slipping past as the tree started swinging. It was difficult as anything she'd done before; the tree was almost faster than her, but there would be faster enemies, and Karma needed to know how to fight them.

She bent backward as a branch tried to decapitate her, falling into a barrel roll that dodged three more branch attacks. A second later she was airborne, the jump a bit too high. She had to catch the branch that attacked her next, holding onto it as the tree attempted to dislodge her. Her dark brown gaze flicked from branch to branch, and she let go of the one she was holding onto as it started toward the ground, jumping out of the way of two other branches. With a happy squeal she jumped backward, the branch whipping at her cutting her cheek, but nothing else.

Well, this was fun.

Lena had passed by the Whomping Willow many a time during her walks over the Hogwarts grounds, but she had never wondered what it did. Why was it called the Whomping Willow? Why can't it be plainly called The Willow Tree That Is Rather Big And Stands On School Grounds? Frankly, she thought the latter name was too long and unimaginative, and the school felt like naming it something catchy anyway.

Dressed in one of her more casual outfits, the Uchitel walked out onto the grounds, hugging her coat. It wasn't particularly chilly enough for her to wear a coat, but just in case.

The blonde parted her hair as she walked until she looked up and found the tree. She scanned the tree, gazing for a second at its wide trunk before moving her way up into the branches. Even in this twilight and with her weary eyes, she could see that the branches were attacking something - no, it was too big. It had to be a someone. She raised an eyebrow; who on earth would go up there to fight with those things?

Well, at least Lena knew why they called it the 'Whomping Willow' now.

Continuing to watch the silhouette being attacked - though that was an odd word to describe it; he or she seemed to be enjoying it - by the branches, Lena called, "You having fun up there?"

Karma glanced behind her at the sound of the girl's voice, moving back and forth over the ground to get out of the tree's range. A branch wrapped around her waist, and she was yanked backward, struggling as she flew back and forth through the air. A growl loosed itself from her throat, and she grabbed the branch as it started to unfurl, so that she wasn't thrown by the giant thing.

Flipping over the branch, she ran along it, jumping from attacking branch to attacking branch until she was against the trunk, sliding downward at a break-neck pace. She squealed happily as she gained speed, following the contours of the trunk and ducking as the tree attempted to dislodge her. She came to a stop as her feet hit a certain knot in the trunk, and the tree froze.

Brushing herself off, she grinned at the new arrival, before realizing who it was. "Oh. It's you. Hey you."

Lena watched the someone in the trees, and began to wonder herself if it was as fun as she'd made it look to jump across the trees, intertwining herself in those branches, jumping up and down easily into the heart of the tangled mess. Come to think of it, it may be not as fun as her imagination had created it to be. After all, there were rather high chances of her getting scratched by those branches or the tree shaking her off it.

As the girl landed on the ground, a glint of recognition lit up in the blonde's eyes. It was the girl from the train. Merlin - why now, and why here, where the tree can kill her if she felt like it? Nothing clogged up in her throat like she usually did when she was intimidated, which was a relief. "Yes, hey me," she replied, sounding less than enthusiastic. She took a lock of her hair twirled it around her finger. "Hey yourself."

Karma rocked back and forth on her feet, grinning still. "I just wanted to say..." She sighed, and the grin was wiped off her face. "I'm sorry about how I acted, on the train I mean. You just, don't understand." She shook her head. "That girl I was chasing, I wasn't really thinking, you know? I'd just found out that she's the reason my brother died, and... he was the only family I had left. Then you brought up Grimmauld Place and it was just destroyed in a fire and... I just..." Karma shook her head, looking off at the horizon. The sun was setting. It looked nice.

Lena braced herself for a hurl of insults being thrown at her, but it never came. Instead came an apology, and whatever had been preparing her for the batch of insults had gone. Her eyes widened in slight shock. She never knew... well.

"I-I'm sorry..." the blonde sighed, her throat clogged with her own spit, "I... I didn't know... I'm sorry for your loss. And I know this might sound strange, but the girl... I'm sure she didn't want - or need - to deprive you of... everything." She thought of what would happen if Vorstenbach Manor was bombed, but felt nothing. All she felt was slight irritation at having no garden to play in anymore.

She followed the girl's gaze to the sunset, tilting her head a bit as if observing it. Her eyes flickered to her finger, letting go of her hair. Her lip quivered. "I know what it's like to lose a sibling," she muttered, mostly to herself.