Oh it feels great to be a winner! on Pecari Commons

Rupert Princeton

February 07, 2014 1:50 AM

Victory Party! by Rupert Princeton

The match had been a sweeping victory for Pecari and Rup was more than proud to be a part of this house. It was fantastic when any Quidditch match was won, but this win felt particularly sweet because the forces of nature had been so hard on them. And still they had come out on top. When Jade had flown off, Rup had been excited and he flew after her immediately. He had seen her catch that Snitch and embark on her victory laps and Rupert had whooped loudly with no shame. His robes were so wet they added extra weight to his broom and felt like a second skin that would take a bit of time to peel off, but he didn’t care. He had prepared a little something earlier in the week in the common room with no knowledge of what the outcome of the match was going to be. If they had won, it was going to be a victory party. If they had lost, it would have been a goodbye party for Amira. He wasn't sure if it was his place to host such a party, but he couldn't care less about what others thought. He wanted to celebrate and he would.

The romance of the whole game was remarkable. The last match of the year won in the rain, battling against the favoured house to win, beating the odds, a fierce fight to the very end. When he was a seventh year, Rup wanted to end his legacy that way as well. Amira’s departure was going to be sad and he was sorry for it, but she had better things coming outside of Sonora walls, he was sure.

As soon as he entered the common room with the rest of his team-mates, Rup shouted, still feeling the high from winning, "Three cheers for Pecari and a brilliant Quidditch season!" Once the cheering was through, Rup added, "Victory party down here in ten minutes!"

All Pecaris regardless of their interest in Quidditch were welcome to the commemorative bash. Rup charmed the banners that had previously been lying hidden in the corners of the room and hung them up with a bit of magic. They had been blank, but now read in bold brown and gold, “VICTORY FOR PECARI” and “BOARS ARE WINNERS”. In addition to those banners the decorations were sparse, Rup having been previously unaware of the outcome of the match. There was a table of refreshments that he had asked the prairie elves to set up during the match and he unveiled it now. Underneath the white sheet were warm Quaffle-shaped cinnamon rolls, a chocolate cake, frosted cupcakes and a diverse range of hot beverages. All of it looked lovely and Rup knew he’d have to thank the prairie elves before he left to go back home for the summer.

Rup turned on the wireless to a channel with music one could dance to and went to change out of his soaking robes. A quick drying charm was used on his wet clothing once he had undressed and he towelled off. He dressed in his favourite dark orange jeans, a casual blue button-up and laced up his leather ankle-high boots and went back down to the common room where he retrieved a glass of hot chocolate to warm his chilled innards. Once people had changed and started to mingle, Rupert stood up on a chair and raised his mug. “Attention everyone. I'd like to propose a toast to our Seeker, Jade Owen, who caught the Snitch today, and to our captain Amira Thornton who’s worked with us all year to victory. Thanks to you both we've won the Quidditch Cup this year. Here's to a fantastic team and more victories in the future!” He took a long drink of the hot chocolate and felt the warmth spread from his stomach to the rest of his body.

Rupert stepped down from his crying box and went to join in the mingling, having half a mind to begin a celebratory dance in the euphoric state he was currently in. He let himself have a little hop as he walked before stopping to engage in a conversation.

Subthreads:

You beat me to it! by Jade Owen with Arabella Brockert, Jade

Oh it feels great to be a winner! by Liliana Bannister with Atlas Primred, Pecari

40 Rupert Princeton Victory Party! 248 Rupert Princeton 1 5

Jade Owen

February 10, 2014 3:58 PM

You beat me to it! by Jade Owen

Drenched, jubilant, and completely exhilarated, Jade raucously joined the rest of her teammates, along with any of their Housemates who were sane enough (or perhaps not sufficiently sane - Jade wasn't sure which was more accurate) to withstand the company of the victors, in the procession back to the Pecari commons. It was still raining but Jade didn't care; she had caught the Snitch, they had won the game, and everything that might dampen her spirits was solvable with a quick drying charm and a hot chocolate. She had a fleeting idea, as she entered the commons, that they might have a celebratory party. As if he'd read her mind, Rup took that moment to shout, "Victory party down here in ten minutes!"

While she had been prepared to swan around in her sodden team robes throughout the celebrations, Jade had been granted ten minutes' grace to change, so thought she might as well take advantage of the brief interlude to at least remove her thermal underwear. Striding up to the sixth year girls' dormitory, she peeled off layers of wet fabric, dumping them unceremoniously in a heap on the floor, until only the unsightly underwear remained. Jade looked around for some inspiration of what to wear, and her eyes fell on her pajamas, lying freshly cleaned by the prairie elves on top of her bed covers. Tempting, but probably too early in the day to really get away with it.

After a quick rummage through her belongings, Jade had extracted dark green combats and her black top (on which she'd cut away the fabric from the upper arms to past the elbows, re-attaching the ends of each sleeve with strings of silver safety pins). She threw a black tie with gold stars on it over her head and adjusted the knot to sit at the base of her neck, and scooped up her brown curls into a fresh ponytail. Her hair was frizzing from exposure to the elements, and while she wouldn't normally care, Jade had left some of the serum she'd used at Hallowe'en, so smoothed some of the product into her hair to keep it tamed before she charged back down to the common area.

The smells of cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate greeted her as she jumped the bottom step, and Jade didn't hesitate in grabbing one of each. She had already consumed the first pastry and was contemplating a second as her favourite Princeton (she liked Ceph, too, but Rup was cooler) once again drew attention to himself and proposed some toasts. Jade hollered in whooping support of his first suggestion and her own name, and was even gracious enough to cheer for Amira (rather than booing her, as she did in her head, but diplomatically decided that remaining united as a team for the duration of the party, at least, was to everyone's benefit). "We are the champions!" she called obnoxiously over the final cheers, and then happily picked up a second cinnamon roll.

0 Jade Owen You beat me to it! 221 Jade Owen 0 5

Liliana Bannister

February 18, 2014 1:23 AM

Oh it feels great to be a winner! by Liliana Bannister

After the match, Liliana rushed back to her dorm, her body shaking with joy. They had won the match and, consequently, the Cup. What fantastic news to write home to her parents and cousins about. A hot shower was in order, and a fresh change of clothes. From what Rupert had yelled in the common room once the team had barged in, she had about ten minutes to shower and change and head down to the victory party. Liliana prided herself on being timely and so left her Quidditch robes in a puddle in the middle of the floor before huddling by the radiator and changing into the marigold romper she had worn on her first day of Flying Lessons. To warm up her outfit a bit, she donned a cream colored sweater and put her feet into her cozy slippers. Her arm was still a little bit sore from the saving the Quaffle but she didn't care, there would be time for that to heal later. As of now all she could think about was getting her hands on a cup of pipping hot tea. Before heading down though, she towel-dried her long hair before braiding it and coiling it up on the top of her head fastened with a marigold ribbon to keep the wetness from dripping down her back.

After a quick check in the mirror to ensure she did indeed look alright, Liliana skipped down to the common room, the adrenaline from winning still coursing through her body. She made it in time to catch Rupert's speech and she cheered loudly with the rest of the party-goers before grabbing a toasty cinnamon roll and gorging herself. Until she had seen the treats she had not realized how hungry she really was. The tea could wait, and Liliana happily leaned against the wall taking in the happy faces before her. She had started Sonora not wanting to be there at all and now she was a part of the winning team. It felt good and it felt like she finally had a place at last. She scanned the common room, spotting Atlas and rolled her eyes. The other first year still thought they were friends and she was doing her best to keep that image up. It wasn't his fault in particular that he was a rude little git, just as it wasn't her fault that he had offered her a favor. Sometimes, Liliana wished that they really were friends. It would have been nice to have someone to hang out with and whisper secrets to. As it was, all she had were the owls sent back and forth between her and family and Noey. Tanya, it seemed, had forgotten her, writing only briefly and even then with such short letters. Always apologizing for neglecting her, always rushing to go see new friends, and always shorter than the last.

Liliana supposed her difficulty in making new friends stemmed from not having a roommate. If there had been another little girl to talk to perhaps things at Sonora would have been different. Perhaps she would have had a best friend then. The girls in her year were scarce- only four of them. Looking back on it now, she should have been nicer to Morgana Bennet, the half-blood in her Flying Class. She had obviously been trying to make friends. Liliana sighed dejectedly into her cinnamon roll but made sure to keep her face bright and interested. It wouldn't do for others to see her upset like that. Now that she had a place at Sonora, perhaps making friends would come easier to her. Liliana wasn't exactly sure as she'd never had to worry about that whilst in England where she had her cousins and then the girls from etiquette lessons. Pushing these thoughts behind her, Liliana made her way to the drinks table in hopes of acquiring a nice hot cup of chai tea and if not that then perhaps something with lemon in it.

10 Liliana Bannister Oh it feels great to be a winner! 274 Liliana Bannister 0 5

Atlas Primred, Pecari

February 18, 2014 1:56 AM

Especially when you are filled with cinnamon rolls! by Atlas Primred, Pecari

Despite the fact that Atlas could only watch the game and cheer his team on, he had never felt more in it than he did today. Atlas had made sure to cheer as loud as he could during the game, unfortunately due to the rain; it was a little harder than usual for Atlas to be loud. Despite all the games excitement Atlas couldn’t help but worry about Liliana. Even though it was a good save, he had felt his stomach fill with knots when he saw the quaffle hit her. She was probably tougher than his little sister Katie; yet his brotherly instincts couldn’t help but sympathize.

Back at the Common room, Atlas cheered enthusiastically. Aladran had been a tough opponent and the entire team deserved to boast a little, even if it meant living up to the Pecari stereotype. Atlas scurried through his belongings, after using a couple drying charms on his clothes. The last time he had tried it he put a little too much power behind it and ended up burning a hole right into his shirt; so he was a little more cautious this time. After toweling off his hair, (he wouldn’t dare try a drying charm on his head) he dressed in a brown and gold striped waffle-knit shirt, his dark jeans and his white and black high-top sneakers. He didn’t bother tying his laces, choosing instead to tuck them quickly into his shoes; the smell of cinnamon was already too enticing to delay any longer.

Arriving back in the common room everyone seemed ready to relax and celebrate their victory. The music that filled the air was complimented by the smell of sweets and warm drinks. Atlas followed his nose to the food table, eyeing the delicious food that lay before him. “Which one of you shall be mine?” he thought glancing over the cinnamon rolls. By the time Rupert proposed a toast to Jade and Amira, Altas had already eaten several cinnamon rolls. He hastily reached over to garb a drink so he could participate in the toast. He took a large swig of the steaming beverage, not realizing how hot it truly was, and he regretted the decision as fast as he had made it. He looked around at everyone socializing while he blew on his apple cider. Even Jade seemed exceptionally happy today. Atlas couldn’t help but smile into his cup as he watched how giddy the team was. He looked over and saw Liliana coming his way in her orange jumper that he had seen her wear a couple times before.

“Hey Liliana,” Atlas said giving her an enthusiastic expression. “You played great! Oh by the way, how is your shoulder? I couldn’t see exactly what happened but it looks like you got hit pretty hard. Are you hurt?” He asked concerned while warming his hands on his cup.

0 Atlas Primred, Pecari Especially when you are filled with cinnamon rolls! 276 Atlas Primred, Pecari 0 5

Arabella Brockert

February 19, 2014 4:11 PM

Eh, why not? by Arabella Brockert

Normally Arabella preferred the company of most of the Crotali-with one obvious exception- to her own housemates. After all it was where her best friend and betrothed had been sorted as well as where one of her favorite cousins had been prior to graduation. The one person she truly liked talking to in her own house-said cousin's girlfriend-had also graduated. However, she couldn't see any harm in going to the party despite it being thrown by someone Amity didn't approve of, and partially for someone Amity also did not approve of. Arabella was not bound by what her younger cousin wanted, but still, the people she had loyalty to above all else were her family-aside from Carrie-Paul, who would be family someday anyway, and Alex. Therefore she was going to put Amity's wants and feelings above people she had no reason or desire to interact with anyway. Her cousin's feelings meant more to her than they did . Plus she didn't want to listen to the fourth year complain that Arabella betrayed her by being pleasant to those people. She and Uncle Seth and Ryan and probably even Evan had probably gotten their fill of that a few years ago. Most likely Effie and Isabel too.

Still Arabella, just wished she had them, or even a distant cousin, here to talk to, even though it was off putting to be clannish and those who were weren't typically well thought of . The sixth year did suppose she could talk to her roommates or even Jorge. Jade had become less obnoxious over the years and they'd even spent some time together in the Horse Club and Waverly had been thoughtful enough to give her a present, a box that Arabella used and had Fabian-proofed. One could never trust a younger brother. She also had no objection to Mellie Goodwin or Sullivan Quincy despite their blood statuses. The younger students she just plain didn't know and while she'd be polite, particularly to the purebloods from good families in the interest of them not seeing her or her family in a bad light, her general attitude was "Not prefect, not my problem." Arabella just didn't have any reason to know them beyond what her sister and cousins thought and that one of the first years was Theresa's brother. For her, it was basically the same as it always had been for her uncle asking her, Ryan, Amity and Tristan, as well as Sally Manger and Marcus Crosby for opinions when he had to know which student was which and his knowledge was limited to his nieces, nephews ,the Lennox girls, Hope, Evan and anyone that any of them they happened to be friends with or betrothed to. Otherwise he'd been dependent on what they thought. Headmaster Brockert, on the other hand, she was certain had access to permanent records and was much more aware of all students regardless of whether they were related to him or how closely or who they were friends with. He seemed way more sinister-Serena was downright terrified of him-than her friendly well tempered uncle.

Speaking of relatives, Arabella felt just a tiny bit lonely in Pecari. She didn't know every last Sorting in her family, especially those long graduated but she could only think of four others off the top of her head and one of them was hardly a recommendation for the house. The sixth year supposed every house had people like that though-Crotalus, despite the fact that she was more fond of them than any others sprang to mind due to Carrie-so as usual she just had to make the best of it like usual. Still, she was the only Brockert-or associated family-in Pecari, what with Nina and Tawny graduated and natually Uncle Seth had so a long time ago. The closest she could get to relatives were the three Careys whom-especially Malcom-were connected through Evan's betrothal to Lucille, if she had their family tree right. It was quite possible that she didn't. After all, Arabella's own was difficult enough to learn and she wholeheartedly pitied Evan and Lucille's kids when it came to learning genealogy.

She had to admit that sometimes, she did wish she had friends or relatives, even distant ones in her house. Pecari was always the house with the fewest Brockerts in it. Possibly because in most cases it was considered the least proper. As far as Arabella knew, there hadn't been that many more Careys there than her own family. Purebloods of that sort tended just not to be the best examples of their house, not fitting the stereotype, despite Nina having been prefect. The ones sorted there may have suited Pecari, but were not the sort people usually associated with the house as opposed to almost everyone else.

In fact, now that she thought about it, she was sort of glad Waverly had gotten the badge rather than her. It wasn't based on laziness or not caring, but her roommate worked hard for it and represented Pecari far better than Arabella did. She did sort of hope Theresa would get Head Girl to take power away from that group of Aladrens, though she acknowledged Henny would do a perfectly fine job. She'd have rooted for Alex but had gotten the impression that her best friend didn't want it. And had it been Arabella, there would have been accusations of nepotism. Granted, she wouldn't be surprised if that happened when Headmaster Brockert's grandchildren came to school if they got badges, but the sixth year would be long gone by then. She might even have children of her own.

Still, she could see no harm in attending the party. The only people she didn't especially want to talk to mostly had to do with if Amity found out, Arabella would never hear the end of it and she'd had enough of listening to her cousin complain during the challenges. Besides, none of those people were ones she found particularly interesting in the first place. She simply had nothing in common with them, one seemed a bit nasty and the other a bit too hyper even for a Pecari. The third, well, he'd offended her cousin and the sixth year didn't appreciate people offending most of her cousins, even the distant ones when it came right down to it.

This might even be fun, even if it wasn't Arabella's usual crowd in either terms of friends or those of her social standing-though admittedly, there were some of the latter. Sonora was a heavily pureblooded school-which was probably why it was where the Brockerts went- so each house was bound to have some creep in. In fact, Pecari was even the house of the legendary Sara Raines, a young lady who was held up as an example for all of their status. Amity was not only best friends with Miss Raines' cousin, but Arabella thought Sara's brother was the most practical person for the Aladren to end up betrothed to. He wasn't "an improper blood traitor who chose trash over her" (Amity's words) or a Carey boy who was connected to them already through Evan and Lucille. It might have cut down on her cousin's options but then what was Evan supposed to do? Besides, neither Arabella nor Amity could see any objection whatsoever to Alan Raines and he was even Isabel's cousin.

She wanted what was best for her family. She wanted the majority to marry people that were not...shameful even if they didn't love them and in Carrie's case, she just wanted the fifth year away from the rest. And from humanity in general. As proper as Arabella desperately tried to be, she couldn't help think decapitation might not be a bad solution, even if it was a thought she must keep to herself.

There was still no real reason to avoid her housemates. The sixth year might have wanted to spend time with Paul before he graduated, but she didn't want to be clingy and they had an eternity. Besides, he and Alex might be tucked away in Crotalus where she couldn't go. She might as well attend the party. It wasn't as if she currently had much better to do. Why not go show her support for her roommate even though she'd never truly felt part of the house, despite knowing intellectually that she had Pecari qualities and suited the house definition, just not the stereotype. Not that she fit the ones of any of the other houses either, though she supposed she could have been a Teppenpaw. She just had more of a....tough, protective quality about her than a sweet one. Amity was a sweeter person than her.

Arabella made her way over to the table with the food on it. She hated to admit it but she felt kind of awkward here. This wasn't the sort of party she'd been raised for, she was used to things far less raccuous which this was bound to be. The sixth year had never considered herself the especially proper and stuffy type but this...wasn't her element. It never had been. She should have adjusted to it by now, and in some ways, she had. She knew what to expect and didn't try to fight against it. She took many things as they came, but that didn't mean she necessarily fit in. Arabella was just glad it was in her house, and not Sonora as a whole. Poor Serena was having the roughest time.

Rupert Princeton toasted to Jade and Amira and the sixth year followed suit. Her roommate was nearby and let out a whoop about them being the champions, in typical Jade fashion. The last thing Arabella expected from the other Pecari after this long was anything resembling decorum. There were worse people than Jade though. She turned to her roommate and said "Congratulations."

11 Arabella Brockert Eh, why not? 217 Arabella Brockert 0 5

Liliana Bannister

February 22, 2014 4:29 PM

And soon to be tea. by Liliana Bannister

Liliana was just in the process of selecting a nice cup of tea when she heard Atlas' chipper voice asking how she was. How she hadn't noticed he was by the drinks table she did not know, but all of a sudden she wasn't thirsty anymore. However, the chai looked very inviting and now that Atlas had noticed her there was no backing out. She carefully blew on the steaming cup, not wanting to burn either her tongue or the roof of her mouth as she knew both would result in not being able to taste anything for the next few days. A situation she dearly hated. A situation much like the one she was in right now.

"Hey, Atlas," she said brightly. It wasn't time yet for him to know that she didn't like him. "Yes, I'm fine. Did you have fun at the game? We won, isn't that incredible!" The excitement in her voice she didn't have to hide- she was proud of winning! Perhaps now she could get validation from her grandmother for playing Quidditch!

She tried her best to skate over his question of worry for her. She wasn't fragile and she didn't need any boy thinking he had to take care of her. She stared suspiciously at his drink, it smelled rather fruity, like rotting apples. She had never been a fan of hot apple cider, the smell always made her feel ill though she could manage drinking it when it was cold. Liliana slightly wrinkled up her nose before sipping at her tea which had cooled down enough to the point where she could drink it.

"What did you think of the cinnamon rolls?" she asked Atlas politely, not really sure how to continue this conversation. She herself had liked them alright, they were nothing compared to her grandmother's house elves but that was to be expected. She had grown to dote on the weird looking creatures who created such pleasing pastry perfection. "Of course, they're nothing like what I can get at my grandmother's house but I rather enjoyed them despite that."

As he answered, she studied her new found frenemy. He wasn't much taller than herself (as of yet, she knew that boys tended to shoot up as they got older), had long (for a boy) black hair, and a rather feminine face (in her opinion). Was this to be her companion for her next six years at Sonora? She shuddered at the thought. At least he was dressed decently- he was sporting his house colors and they complemented him nicely. She'd have to smack herself later for that one.

OCC: Physical description of Atlas taken from his yearbook photo and also asking the author what she imagined him to look like.

10 Liliana Bannister And soon to be tea. 274 Liliana Bannister 0 5

Jade

February 23, 2014 2:45 PM

That's the spirit! by Jade

"Thanks," Jade grinned a reply to Arabella's congratulations, and raised her mug a fraction, almost as an echo of the toast they had just witnessed. She was, in all honesty, surprised to see Arabella at a gathering such as this. It wasn't that her roommate was anti-social - Jade knew she attended lots of social occasions outside school, and her participation in the horse lovers' club was proof otherwise, anyway - but large groups of unruly Pecaris were not necessarily the first place she would think to look for this particular Housemate. Perhaps her support of the Quidditch team specifically, but House pride more generally, was sufficient to draw her into the crowds today.

"Did you watch the game?" Jade asked, uncertain whether Quidditch was something in which Arabella held an interest. Like most girls of her background, there was obviously no chance of Miss Brockert actually playing the sport herself, but Paul Bennett played on and off, so maybe Arabella had been to Crotalus matches? Then if that was the case, supporting someone in another House was surely more unusual than turning up to watch her own House play. Jade didn't exactly have friends on the other teams that would draw her attention, but she watched all the games anyway, partly so she could learn from the behaviour of her opponents, and partly because she simply liked watching the sport.

Deciding that she would, in fact, have another cinnamon roll (they were too good to pass u), Jade took a couple of slurps of her hot chocolate before reaching for another pastry. Then she side-stepped out of the way so she wouldn't obstruct others from accessing the delicious treats, but still retained her proximity to, and attention on Arabella. She was tempted to ask why this particular gathering had drawn her presence, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and she wasn't all that interested, anyway. She and Arabella were never going to be best friends - their dispositions and backgrounds were just too different - but they got along in a amicable way; Jade thought she would probably count Arabella among her friends, and it was just because they had ended up in a dormitory together; they had their shared love of horses to forge a conversational bond, too.

0 Jade That's the spirit! 0 Jade 0 5

Atlas Primred, Pecari

February 27, 2014 3:54 AM

Something spicy would be nice too. by Atlas Primred, Pecari

"Yea it was a ton of fun, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time," He said taking a moment to blow on his apple cider to hide the slight disappointment in his face. He wasn't sure if he should really call it a "win" for himself. After all, he was just an alternate, but he still practiced hard and as often as any other person on the team. He took another large mouthful of his apple cider in an effort to snap himself out of his trance. He hated thinking that way, but there where just times he couldn't help it. Unfortunately around Liliana was one of those moments. After a few enormous gulps, Atlas had finally managed to curb his discontent. Although in doing so he had finished off his cup. As he turned to get another, Liliana asked a question about the cinnamon rolls that piqued his interest.

He thought for a moment on how to answer, he furrowed his brow slightly, “They had a good flavor I guess.” He paused for a moment looking down at his empty cup, “but I don't think they used enough butter, and a little orange peel would've given it an extra boost of flavor. I’m not really one to ask though, I prefer spicy savory food.” The only sweets he liked where homemade by either his mother or, on occasion when she was feeling especially ambitious, Katie. Even though there probably wasn’t that much difference between them and the ones the prairie elves made, he still preferred theirs due to the feeling he got when he ate food that was made with love. Anything made with magic or machines in Atlas' book was considered cheating however he would never voice such thoughts to Liliana, lest he offend her again or get mistaken as a magic hater like Ariel Thornton.

“My sister really loves sweets though, so I have made them for her a few times. But I guess they’re just not my cup of tea,” He said giving her a wily smile. “Speaking of which,” he said gesturing to her cup, “do you want me to pour you some more?”

OOC: To Ariel Thornton’s author, I hope its ok that I mentioned her in my post. If not, let me know.

0 Atlas Primred, Pecari Something spicy would be nice too. 276 Atlas Primred, Pecari 0 5