Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Aladren on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

January 22, 2010 5:56 PM

Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Aladren by Coach Amelia Pierce

The second game of the Quidditch season was scheduled for the first Saturday after midterm ended. The teams had only had a couple evening practices to get back in shape after their break. As both sides had the same disadvantage, she didn't consider the timing to be unfair, and Amelia was genuinely curious to see how well the two teams handled the extra challenge.

It was the elves she'd been the most concerned about, but they'd managed to clear away every trace of the midterm's winter wonderland in time for the game. Only a light frost on the grass beneath the player's feet remained.

Though the weather charms kept the day from being too terribly cold, it was still January. The air was chilly, the sky overcast, and a few odd flakes floated down over the pitch. She clapped her hands together more out of habit than to draw anyone's attention to her; her winter gloves barely made a whumping sound nevermind a clear clap. Still, the motion if not the sound seemed to focus the two teams as she called the two captains to her from their huddles.

As she had at the previous game, she detailed the rules of the game more as a formality than because she felt either of the captains need to be reminded. "Game starts at the whistle. Game ends when someone catches the snitch. Keep it clean in between. Medic's on hand if she's needed. Have fun, guys. Captains, shake hands."

Once Paul Tarwarter and Hannah Laurent had done so, Amelia released first the snitch and then the bludgers. Lastly, she picked up the Quaffle, and straddled her own broom before beginning the countdown. "Three. Two. One." She blew into her whistle and threw the Quaffle up into the air at the same time.

The game had begun and she lifted into the air, following the players up into the sky, a little relieved that this time she had no connection one way or the other to either of the teams playing today.

OOC: Usual Quidditch game rules apply. If you don't remember them, check out this post here. Hannah, I'm not sure if I have your email address. Could you drop me a line at my email given at the top of this post?

Subthreads:

Flying away by Daniel Nash II, Chaser with Lucie Dupree, Chaser, Paul Tarwater, Amber Carey, Beater, Edmond Carey, Chaser, Tobar Brishen, Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser, Tobar Brishen , Tobar Brishen, Keeper, Coach Amelia Pierce, Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

Seeking the snitch by Hannah Laurent, Seeker with Jera Valson, Seeker , Jera Valson, Seeker

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Aladren 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Daniel Nash II, Chaser

January 25, 2010 10:58 AM

Flying away by Daniel Nash II, Chaser

Daniel was glad to be back at Sonora. Most of the midterm break had been spent with his mother and Anton. Due to the television show they were both in, Dad had custody of him for most of the summer, but for the two weeks in winter, Mom had full custody. And with all the wedding preparations going on, he'd barely even gotten to say 'Merry Christmas' to his father and Barry this break. Having more time wouldn't have changed that at all, and Daniel was immensely grateful midterm was only two weeks long. If he'd been asked about one more flowered centerpiece, he very well may have become one of those child actors with a sealed juvenile record.

Worse, Holly was ecstatically happy about the whole thing, as if she couldn't tell that this marriage was as doomed as the others. He didn't understand why she couldn't see that precedent clearly indicated it wouldn't last more than a year. And it just hurt his head when she went on about 'my wedding with Raoul' - which was evidently going to have a lot of similarities with the one currently being planned, and to hear her tell of it, would be taking place in under five years.

In short, Daniel was really looking forward to the complete lack of complications, angst, and flowers involved in a Quidditch game. He might not be the most Quidditch-obsessed sports guy in the school or even his House, but you couldn't tell it by today.

He woke early, showered, shaved (it was even almost necessary this morning - there had been actual visible hairs on his chin that his shaver removed), dressed in his Quidditch Robes, ate a healthy breakfast, gave his broom its full maintenance process, and got out to the pitch with time to spare. Aside from a few hygienic and puberty related thoughts when he spotted the chin hairs, he didn't allow himself to dwell on anything other than the upcoming game.

When the whistle blew, he was so ready for it. He launched up off the ground, grabbed hold of the Quaffle before it reached its apex, and flew up and toward the center Teppenpaw goal. His broom was barely a year old, and meticulously taken care of so it carried him swiftly and surely in the direction he wanted to go. He knew better than to hold onto the ball for too long, though, or there would soon be a bludger with his name on it.

He spotted another blue-clad chaser not too far off and who he had a clear shot toward. Meeting the guy's eyes and giving a small nod to indicate he was about to make the pass, Daniel threw the ball in his teammate's direction.

1 Daniel Nash II, Chaser Flying away 130 Daniel Nash II, Chaser 0 5

Hannah Laurent, Seeker

January 27, 2010 10:11 AM

Seeking the snitch by Hannah Laurent, Seeker

Christmas had been the usual mix of fanciful decorations, bountiful feasts, and piles of presents. The drama of it all was nearly enough to wear a person out, especially after being kissed unexpectedly under some mistletoe. It was almost enough to make Quidditch seem tame by comparison. Almost. There was still nothing that could beat the back and forth between her and the other Seeker with the always-lingering anticipation of who would catch the elusive snitch first. She couldn’t wait to taste the thrill of the hunt again. She just hoped her team felt the same.

“Okay, Teppenpaws, we have this,” Hannah said starting her speech in the pregame huddle. Her breath came out in puffs of air cause of the cold. “Just pretend it’s a practice game.” She glanced towards the new players, hoping they weren’t too nervous. If they were, then they would probably make mistakes, ones that might cost them the game. She knew they could do this. “We’ve practiced the drills time and again. I bet everyone could even do them in your sleep.” Sometimes it seemed they had with how early some of their practices had been, including the couple of recent ones.

The blonde wasn’t sure if it was enough to get the team back in shape or not after the holiday, but then it wasn’t as if Aladren had much of an advantage in that department. Their main advantage was they weren’t sporting a few new players, but that hadn’t managed to stop them last year and she didn’t plan on letting it stop them this year. “Lucie, Gabby, Elliot, don’t worry about anything other than the quaffle.” How many times had she stressed that? The main function of the team rested in them trusting each other and the chasers had to put the most trust in the team.

“Josiah, Amber, I’m counting on you to make sure nothing happens to our chasers. If you get the chance, take out anyone you can. The easiest targets are probably Juri Dahlgren, beater, and Edmond Carey, chaser.” Oh, yes, she had studied the opposing team. The two she mentioned were the youngest players on the team and the least experienced as far as she could tell. “Juri’s the blonde and Edmond’s the redhead.” She figured a little info would help them pin their targets. As for the opposing seeker, she wasn’t too worried about going up against her since she had faced the other girl before.

“Tobar, keep alert,” Hannah lectured. One of the worst parts of being a keeper, in her opinion, was being idle for long periods of time while the quaffle was in play on the other side of the field, because then the human tendency towards daydreaming kicked in and when the quaffle came back around, they were completely unprepared for it. “Don’t freak out though if they manage to score. Just move on to worrying about the next shot.” She tried to soften any negative feelings over missing goals. It really wasn’t worth worrying about when one shot was ten points. So long as he didn’t allow in twenty plus shots, they would be more than fine, providing she caught the snitch.

She was just finishing up her speech with a quick word to Andrew and Nathaniel about being on stand by when the Quidditch coach called their attention. The lecture on rules went by relatively quickly and soon she was shaking hands with the opposing Captain. Soon they were up in the air, waiting to see who would take the lead in the game. Disappointingly it was the Aladren team, but she couldn’t dwell on that. She had a snitch to find. Soaring above the rest of the game, she began the hunt. Her only concern was the younger girl, who she kept in her line of vision. They were two lionesses, both hunting the same prey, only one would be victorious. She had no intention of allowing it to be the other girl.

0 Hannah Laurent, Seeker Seeking the snitch 0 Hannah Laurent, Seeker 0 5

Lucie Dupree, Chaser

January 27, 2010 2:05 PM

Chasing After by Lucie Dupree, Chaser

Hop left. Hop right. Lucie was bored. She kept shifting her feet, bouncing back and forth. Every match was the same thing. Hannah always tried to boost morale with some long-winded speech. She really didn’t see the need. She figured everyone knew what they were supposed to do and everyone was eager enough to play. After all, if they weren’t, why had they joined the team? While Hannah droned on, Lucie glanced over to the other team to where Grayson was. She wondered if he had a date to the dance yet. Should she ask him? Yes, she had flirted with him a bunch of times, but had never actually asked him out or anything like that. Would it be too bold to do so?

Before she could give it any more thought, Hannah had stopped talking. Phase II was underway where they listened to the Coach and then got up in the air waiting for Phase III, which was actually playing. Her eyes drifted back to Gray and darn it! She completely missed the quaffle being released. Hannah was going to kill her if she kept drifting off like some brainless twit. She set out after Daniel Nash II. If it weren’t for the fact that she knew better, she would swear the boy was a pureblood. She would say his attitude was more fitting for one than hers was. Lately, even Danae had become an example for her mother to use for how she should act. How sad was that when it had always been the reverse?

Forcing herself to concentrate, she trailed under Daniel, hoping he would pass, but she couldn’t be sure he would. So close to the goals, it was possible that he might attempt to take the shot, but with the sounds of bludgers in the background, he might also not want to take the risk of holding on to the quaffle. All she could do was wait. There it was. The pass that she had been looking for. Urging her broom forward she intercepted the quaffle cleanly. Hugging it to her, she shifted to the right to turn her broom around. She wanted to go straight to the Aladren goals, but that was dangerous territory. Instead, she weaved in and out of the other players in the attempt to keep Aladren’s chasers off her trail.

There was also the pesky little problem of bludgers. She was a moving target. She looked around for the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser. Spotting one, she gave one of the signals from practice to say that she was going to pass it. As soon as she was sure it was safe, she threw the quaffle towards her teammate.

0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser Chasing After 0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser 0 5

Jera Valson, Seeker

January 29, 2010 3:17 PM

That's what I was going to say! by Jera Valson, Seeker

Midterm had been a welcome break. Jera had enjoyed the best of both worlds: her Pa had come to Sonora for a short visit while the pitch had been transformed into an icy heaven, and then Jera had returned with her parents to their mountain home, and had eaten far too much at a big festive family dinner. That meant she'd barely eaten since; Jera had aways been a fairly small girl, but these days all it took was for her to look at a piece of cake and her jeans felt tighter. She didn't want to balloon out, especially not with the ball at the end of the term.

Jera was secretly hoping to have a date for the occasion. Nobody had asked her yet, but there were several weeks left before she needed to be worried about that. For her part, Jera kind of liked Grayson. She glanced over at her teammate - he always seemed so smart, and she liked that he was sophisticated. Of course he was older and probably would go with someone from his own yeargroup. Jera could always go with Seamus, who seemed to like her well enough. Not quite so smart or sophisticated, perhaps, but he had more enthusiasm than anyone else Jera had ever met.

That wasn't important right now. Right now, Jera was preparing to play her first Quidditch game of the year, just a couple of days after returning back from midterm. Her flying was just as good as always, the week break doing little damage to her performance. However, Jera wasn't a really good flier, anyway. She'd signed up inititally to the Aladren team because her roomate had asked her to. Now, three years on, Jera continued to sign up just so the team had a Seeker. Aladrens were not sporty by nature, and few of them were competetive outside of academics. Therefore Jera was happy to fill the spot to help make up the team, but she wasn't sure she was helping all that much. As the Seeker, she was supposed to catch the Snitch and win the game.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the skill of the other team's Seekers, and often failed at her task. Today she wasn't feeling confident of her chances. The other Seeker was the captain, and a sixth year, and really, really good. Aladren's Seeker didn't let that dishearten her: she would still play to the best of her ability, and hope to surprise herself (not to mention everyone else in the school) by some miracle and get to the Snitch first.

Once the captains had shaken hands, Jera swung her leg over her broomstick and, on the whistle, kicked off from the ground. The cold had made it hard, so she rose quickyl into the sky, flying a little above the other players. She paid just enough attention to notice that Aladren got the Quaffle first - yes! - then she devoted her attention solely to searching for the Snitch. The lack of sunshine would hopefully make that easier, and there was no rain to hinder her search. Maybe this would all be over quickly. Or maybe Jera could hold off long enough so that Aladren Chasers could score over a hundred-and-fifty points, then it wouldn't matter if Hannah caught the Snitch.

0 Jera Valson, Seeker That's what I was going to say! 0 Jera Valson, Seeker 0 5

Paul Tarwater

January 29, 2010 6:03 PM

Watching over you by Paul Tarwater

Steadily, slowly, Paul had been feeling better. He was still paranoid, a wreck, but the promise of leaving this school forever was far too good to ruin with too horrible of thoughts. He’d even accepted his role as Quidditch captain quite easily, still stuttering through his demands of those, however less than usual. The game though, the game was quite different, and the boy felt the need to even write out and memorize such a speech. However, when he got to the pitch, this was all forgotten.

“Uh, okay guys. Okay, we have this,” he wasn’t positive, we know this, but he’s hopeful. Can’t you take that and go with it? Please. “We have this. I-I’m sure, we’ve practiced hard, I’ve seen you guys. You’re good. Chaser’s… remember… team-work. Be careful, the Teppenpaw Chasers are… fairly ruthless when it comes… down. Grayson…” he almost told the boy to refrain from flirting with Lucie, “Look. For the. Quaffle. The Chasers could trick you.” It didn’t make much sense, but it as a little better than the former. “Juri, if at all possible, go for the Seeker… or the Chaser with the Quaffle.” (Just don’t hit the Quaffle, unspoken idea).

“Jera.” … “Get that snitch.”

He was sure they weren’t listening, really it was just a speech most captains made. And Paul wasn’t most captains, they should know that.

He shook Hannah Laurent’s hand, his eyes on his feet until he had to look up to fly. And then he did, stalking the sky until he found his Bludger, and his chance to hit it at Lucie Dupree from above as she was passing the Quaffle away. [I]But damn[/I], was it too late?

Not if he injured a player.

0 Paul Tarwater Watching over you 0 Paul Tarwater 0 5

Amber Carey, Beater

January 30, 2010 9:20 PM

That's a new way to put it. by Amber Carey, Beater

The way Amber saw it, Teppenpaw had this game in the bag. A sixth-year Seeker almost always had a big advantage when up against a fourth year, and when it came to captains, Hannah almost certainly beat Paul any day. Plus, Aladren had, as a starting Chaser, one of her cousins, and everything she had heard indicated he was a little out of touch with reality - or at least the rest of the species. If that was as good as Aladren could get, then they ought to be easily handled.

Her job, of course, was to make them even easier to handle by taking some of them out of the game. Since the only one of the Beaters, she thought, more experienced than her was Paul, who was a little off, Amber thought she'd be able to make a decent job of it.

There was the usual process of speeches to go through, the captain's and the coach's, and then they were off. Aladren got the Quaffle, but then Teppenpaw got it back, and while Lucie was passing, Amber caught the distinctive whistle of a Bludger. Looking up, she saw Paul and found where it was coming from.

Taking out the Quaffle-bearer. Nice. Figuring she was out of range of their Seeker, Amber intercepted the Bludger's path and sent it toward the first bat-less blue robe that she saw. Taking out Chasers usually wasn't a game-changer at this level of play, but you never knew; maybe having a random Aladren removed would give Hannah a view she would not have otherwise had and secure Teppenpaw an early win.

0 Amber Carey, Beater That's a new way to put it. 0 Amber Carey, Beater 0 5

Edmond Carey, Chaser

February 02, 2010 10:30 PM

Cutting in by Edmond Carey, Chaser

Psychology was not a discipline Edmond had studied, but he felt safe in saying that the Aladren team captain could do with speaking to someone who had. The disjointed manner he communicated in was unsettling; as far he could remember - which, admittedly, wasn't far; his memories were primarily academic in nature, with the personal ranking a very poor, patchy second - Edmond had never heard anything like it in his life. If he had attempted to speak in such a way, they would have reprimanded him to his face and then had one of those quiet talks he wasn't supposed to know about.

He did, however, manage to glean at least one useful tidbit from the speech: the Teppenpaw Chasers could be ruthless. A good thing to remember. Of all the days for him not to make a stupid mistake, today probably ranked pretty high, as the illogical practice of blaming the new guy for anything that went wrong might hold true even in a supposedly-logical set of people.

Coach Pierce was a much more organized speech-giver, which was welcome. As the game began and Aladren managed to take the Quaffle, Edmond tried to block out all the distractors in the area. It was an effective technique for studying in unideal conditions, and he needed to be at least almost as focused at the moment as he was when he did that.

Either his focus or his reflexes failed to operate, though, because one of the Teppenpaw players - he thought she was a Miss Dupree, though he couldn't say he really paid all that much attention to older non-Aladrens - managed to intercept the ball as it was passed. Irritated with himself for being slow, Edmond followed her uneven path back toward his goals and unreliable Keeper.

His strategy was based on being good enough at evasionary techniques for the Miss Dupree not to notice him, and the strategy seemed to be working. Maybe - contrary to many a very exasperated exclamation of Julia's - Edmond did have at least one subtle bone somewhere in his body. When Miss Dupree passed and he was able to intercept it, he decided that qualified as further evidence for the interpretation as, grateful that the alleged Carey wealth had gifted him with a decent broom, Edmond turned and began to head back toward the Teppenpaw goals. Since there were several not-exactly-uninfluential people who would be irritated if he got his skull knocked in and take out their irritation on people he cared for, Edmond passed the Quaffle as soon as he felt it was safe to do so.

0 Edmond Carey, Chaser Cutting in 0 Edmond Carey, Chaser 0 5

Tobar Brishen

February 08, 2010 12:12 PM

Ahhhh Just shoot already! by Tobar Brishen

Tobar put on his Quidditch Robes and sighed he was nervous today was his first ever Quidditch Match. He had played in games with the family but they weren’t at this caliber of play. He put his helmet under his arm and sighed as he made his way down to the pitch. When the match began he got on his broom and flew up towards the goals.

Holding himself steady he clapped his hands in the chill and smiled. This was it this was going to be the day Teppenpaw would beat the scholars that called themselves Quidditch players. He watched as the Quaffle was passed back and forth between the two teams. This was nerve wrecking, and it only got worse when one of the Aladren Chasers shot towards him.

Was he going to shoot for the goal? Would Tobar save it? The nerves were killing him and Tobar was just ready to get the first shot down and over with. He watched closely as the chaser tossed the quaffle and he sighed in relief he wasn’t coming just yet giving Tobar time to calm himself down. He closed his eyes for just a second and let out a long breath. Once again he clapped his hands and smiled. ‘Let’s do this.’ He thought and his mind was back in the game.

0 Tobar Brishen Ahhhh Just shoot already! 0 Tobar Brishen 0 5

Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser

February 10, 2010 4:07 PM

Well, if you insist... by Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser

They had, for who alone knew what reason, made him an assistant captain. Thomas wasn’t sure what had possessed them to do that. The only possible answer was that Gray was already a prefect, a little impaired in the communication department, and, well, related to Anne Wright, whose manic shadow still seemed to crop up around the Quidditch program from time to time. Thomas had never so much as spoken to her, but she had been one of those people you knew whether you knew her or not.

So far, being assistant captain had been an ambiguous affair. Thomas figured no one, at least in Aladren, really knew what the purpose of one was; Layne hadn’t had one, and he’d seemed to be Wright’s boyfriend-therapist when he was hers before that. Thomas was sure someone out there would find Paul romantically appealing, but that someone was not him. It had probably not been a great idea to have both the captain and assistant captain in exam years, either. The whole thing had failed to fall into the neat categories that Thomas liked his life to be divided into.

The game was simpler. He caught and threw a ball as part of a weekend diversion, and did his part to keep people in the wrong color uniform from getting hold of the ball. The logistics were, of course, a great deal more complicated than that, but since he didn’t have to actively do the math to make all that work, he wasn’t worried about it. It helped that while Teppenpaw had its advantages – Hannah was more experienced than Jera, New Teppenpaw Keeper Kid was not Gray Wright – they did not come across as indestructible. Thomas believed in the power of psychology; how the groups perceived of each other and of themselves could have a big impact on how things went.

He didn’t know if that contributed to Aladren making a decent showing for itself, but it seemed to be working. It was a mild surprise that the new kid, Carey, was the one to get the ball back once it was briefly lost, though. He would keep an eye on him. When Edmond opted not to attempt the shot, Thomas caught his pass and did it instead. New Teppenpaw Keeper Kid was a first year, but he threw in a feint before actually directing the Quaffle toward the left hoop.

0 Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser Well, if you insist... 0 Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser 0 5

Tobar Brishen

February 10, 2010 7:07 PM

I do. by Tobar Brishen

Tobar was ready to prove himself, he wanted to be the best keeper in Sonora and his first shot was coming quick. The boy he thought was going to shoot for the goals just passed it to another one. What was going on here? Did they want to mess with his mind? Probably but Tobar knew everything would be okay he would save shot right? “Stop doubting yourself Tobar.” He said and knew it was probably crazy to be talking to himself.

Watching the Chaser who currently had the ball Tobar wasn’t sure which way he was going to go. He feinted and then shot toward the left hoop. Tobar went towards the left hoop and slapped the Quaffle down before flying around the hoop in a victory lap.

He loved the rush it had given him to save the goal, he had been apprehensive to play the Keeper position but after all the work he had done it had paid off. He clapped his hands again and nodded ready to go again. He hoped that this would keep going throughout the game.

0 Tobar Brishen I do. 0 Tobar Brishen 0 5

Daniel Nash II, Chaser

February 11, 2010 12:56 PM

Did you want it again, then? by Daniel Nash II, Chaser

Daniel's pass was intercepted by Lucie Dupree, but before he could get too upset about it, he realized Amber Carey had targeted him with a bludger. He jutted and juked and lost track of the quaffle action for a few minutes while he evaded the malevolent metal ball. By the time he finally shook it, Thomas was taking a shot at the Teppenpaw goals. Daniel looked over just in time to see Tobar Brishen block the shot.

Fortunately, his evasive maneuvers had put him in the perfect position to collect the falling ball before it hit ground. He flew back out to the proper post-goal-attempt distance, met the coach's eyes, and play resumed. He flew up higher than Chasers normally ventured, as it was above even the tallest of the goal hoops, then dropped into a fast dive that would put him at the ground right where the center hoop's post was planned into the dirt if he didn't change direction.

As he passed by the altitude where the side hoops were at, he took a second goal shot, aiming this time at the right one. He was moving too fast for a feint, so he was counting entirely on its speed and unconventionality to make it in. Assuming, of course, that the Quaffle was even flying anywhere near its intended target. Daniel hadn't had more than a moment judge distances and take aim, and his ability to throw where he wanted the ball to go was not yet instinctual.

There was a fair to good chance it wouldn't make it in even if Tobar wasn't there at all.

Still, Daniel pulled out of his dive as quickly as gravity and inertia would allow him to do so, and looked up to see if he could again catch a wayward Quaffle as it fell toward the ground.

1 Daniel Nash II, Chaser Did you want it again, then? 130 Daniel Nash II, Chaser 0 5

Tobar Brishen, Keeper

February 12, 2010 1:09 PM

uh oh by Tobar Brishen, Keeper

Tobar had just got back to the goals when he saw Daniel take control of the Quaffle. Well they were sure gunning for him today. Where was his team? ‘C’mon beaters.’ He muttered keeping his eye on Daniel as he went up further then any other, Chaser ever did. ‘What is he doing? That is not cool’ Tobar mumbled and sighed as he rubbed his face.

When Daniel began his dive, Tobar gasped and shook his head. This was not good, not at all; they had not practiced a save like this ever. He shook his head nervous as hell and then he lost track of Daniel, one moment was all it took. He had blinked and the Quaffle had sailed in. “Crap.” Tobar said with a frown.

He had let the damn ball into the hoop. ‘It’s okay the Chasers on our team have to step up and score now, it’s not the end of the world you just let the Quaffle in one time it won’t happen again.” He sighed as he clasped his hands on the broom for a moment as the game play began again.

0 Tobar Brishen, Keeper uh oh 0 Tobar Brishen, Keeper 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

February 12, 2010 1:40 PM

Aladren Scores! by Coach Amelia Pierce

Amelia Pierce blew into her whistle, the shrill sound cutting through the air. "Aladren scores!" she called out, with the help of a sonorus charm, so that the spectators could clearly hear her. "The score is now 10 points Aladren, zero points Teppenpaw!"

She collected the quaffle from the Aladren boy who caught it after it scored and moved to the middle of the field. "Chasers, ready?" she asked, more formality than question, because she didn't wait for a response before throwing the ball high into the air and blowing the whistle again.

The game was back on.

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Aladren Scores! 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

February 12, 2010 6:31 PM

Can't complain about that. by Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

Edmond's pass went off flawlessly, but Thomas's goal wasn't as lucky. The Teppenpaw Keeper, whose face Edmond was quite sure he had seen in class but whose name he was unaware of, saved it. He pressed his lips together in irritation as the Quaffle was -

Caught by Daniel?

Edmond felt his respect for his teammate, which had already been established, rise as he secured the goal and the coach blew her whistle, causing a pause in the action of the game as she announced the score. Though ten points wasn't much - Crotalus had gotten that before midterm, and they'd lost by a hundred and forty points - Edmond still felt very pleased to be on Aladren's team as the Chasers went back to center.

The biggest difference between this and playing with a few of his cousins was how fast everything moved on the school Pitch. Unaccustomed to rhetorical questions, Edmond was in the middle of nodding when he realized Coach Pierce was in the middle of throwing the Quaffle. The game back was on.

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, and had to admit that it was at least half an accident, but he ended up being the Chaser who got the Quaffle. His first priority became, in a very brief instant, getting it as far away from his yellow-clad counterparts as quickly as possible, before they could use their proximity to try to take it away from him. He had a good enough reaction time that he was able to do so with, in his opinion, a respectable amount of haste.

Once the initial impulse to run was past, though, he passed. It was always a risk, but almost everyone admitted that the risks associated with presenting a consistent target for as long as it took to get from the central circle to the goals was even riskier. Teppenpaw's Beaters and Chasers could and most likely would have a field day with him if he did that.

0 Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser Can't complain about that. 0 Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser 0 5

Jera Valson, Seeker

February 15, 2010 3:52 PM

I was also going to say, "I win!" by Jera Valson, Seeker

From what Jera could tell, considering her attention was mostly focussed on trying to find the Snitch rather than on what the Chasers, Beaters and Keepers were doing, it seemed as though the game was pretty fast-paced. Aladren and Teppenpaw both had fairly decent teams, with some experienced players and some newbies on both sides.

Someone scored; Jera heard the whistle blow and the crowd roared - some in delight, some in disappointment. A quick glance let her know it was Aladren that had scored. Yes! The blue-glad Seeker let a small smile creep onto her face. A small victory, perhaps, considering the low experience level of the Keeper, but it was enough to spur Jera on.

As she searched out the small golden ball, keeping one eye out for the opposing Seeker from time to time, Jera wondered if Aladren really had a chance of winning this game. Essentially, unless the Chasers really worked hard, it was up to her to catch the Snitch and win the game. Although Hannah was cpatain on the Teppenpaw team, and had a whole year's more experience than Jera, the fourth year still believed she made an accepatble Seeker. She had three years experience on the team, and she was a fair flyer. She might not be as flashy as some of the other Seekers, but if she just kept her eyes peeled...

And there it was! Quite clearly, and not that far away. As she started flying towards the ball, Jera heard the terrifying thunk that meant a bludger had just been hit, and fairly close by. She hoped it was one of the Aladren Beaters - maybe they had seen the Snitch, too, and wanted to keep the Teppenpaw Seeker away? Or maybe it was really a Teppenpaw Beater, and Jera was about to collide very painfully with a metal ball, stopping her from catching the Snitch and giving the win to the other team? She didn't have a second to spare to take a look - it might cost her catching the Snitch.

One second later and it was over: with disbelief, Jera clenched her fist around the tiny golden ball, struggling to free itself from her grasp. Was she dreaming? She couldn't quite believe it as she held the ball up high in the air, signalling the end of the game, a truly spectacular 160-0 win for Aladren.

0 Jera Valson, Seeker I was also going to say, "I win!" 0 Jera Valson, Seeker 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Aladren by Coach Amelia Pierce

<font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

Flying away by <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

<font color="yellow">Hannah Laurent, Seeker</font>

Seeking the snitch by <font color="yellow">Hannah Laurent, Seeker</font>

<font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font>

Chasing After by <font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue"> Jera Valson, Seeker </font>

That's what I was going to say! by <font color="blue"> Jera Valson, Seeker </font>

<font color="blue">Paul Tarwater</font>

Watching over you by <font color="blue">Paul Tarwater</font>

<font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font>

That's a new way to put it. by <font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Chaser</font>

Cutting in by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen</font>

Ahhhh Just shoot already! by <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen</font>

<font color="blue">Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser</font>

Well, if you insist... by <font color="blue">Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser</font>

<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen </font>

I do. by <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen </font>

<font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

Did you want it again, then? by <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Keeper</font>

uh oh by <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Keeper</font>

Coach Amelia Pierce

Aladren Scores! by Coach Amelia Pierce

Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

Can't complain about that. by Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

<font color="blue">Jera Valson, Seeker</font>

I was also going to say, "I win!" by <font color="blue">Jera Valson, Seeker</font>